Go-With-Me-To-The-Yule-Ball
Horace Slughorn's office was decorated nicely, with floating candles and a great big Christmas tree in the corner with faeries and bowtruckles climbing about the branches holding little lanterns to light it up. The fireplace roared and the whole room smelled of savory foods from the great spread he'd laid out. There was a monophone playing a bit of big band music in the corner and all the people Sluggy had invited along were there, milling about, holding champagne flutes filled with sparkling apple cider (Slughorn himself had mead in his).
"Hey you lot," Harry Warbeck said, popping over to greet them. He leaned in, "When are we going to have our next meeting for the Order?"
"Soon, I s'pose," James said. "Maybe one before Christmas."
"Excellent. Alabaster's been having a rough go of it this term in his house. Says he can't go in the common room without a bunch of Slytherins picking on him for being traitor!" Harry shook his head, "I mean, really!"
Remus looked around, "Poor bloke. Is he here?"
Harry Warbeck shook his head. "Only people that Sluggy deems important because of parentage or talent are invited here. Although Regulus Black brought along a friend... his girlfriend, I s'pose -- Maryrose Jenkins."
James stiffened. "They're... together?"
Harry shrugged, "Dunno if they're really together officially or more speculation from everyone. I only know what I hear second hand from the girls."
James frowned and his eyes travelled about the room trying to spot Regulus with Maryrose somewhere, and it took him a moment but finally he spotted them by the monophone, her against the wall, him leaning on one arm before her, smiling at her as they talked... He had the thick, long hair that Sirius had had before Rosier's attack, though his was a bit curlier than Sirius's so that it looked bushier and not quite as good as Sirius's had been. He also had Sirius's jawline and nose... and apparently the same smooth ability to talk to whoever he wanted to, as Regulus was staring at her eyes and Maryrose seemed to be giggling and twirling her fingers through her hair... which, James noticed, was a brilliant shade of emerald and her eyes were a dark golden brown. She seemed to twinkle as they talked.
James felt something akin to jealousy. He didn't like Regulus being with Maryrose. It made him very uncomfortable.
Remus shoved his hands in his pockets. "If I'd know we could get away with bringing along dates, I would have brought Sirius," he muttered.
"It's lovely in here, though, isn't it?" Lily asked, looking around the room. "I mean, for a Slug-Club event."
James nodded and waved his wand so that three of the champagne flutes of cider flew over to them and he quickly knocked his back, as though it actually had alcohol in it, and magicked another over. He ran a hand through his unruly hair.
Slughorn spotted them then and came over and clapped a thick hand over James's shoulder with excitement, nearly making James spill the cider (which Slughorn didn't notice). He smiled about at the three of them, "Welcome, welcome... As you can see, much less formal than my usual get togethers, just help yourself to the food, mingle, enjoy your time!" He smiled and leaned into James, pointing across the room, "That there is Ludo Bagman, son, he's on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, very good. I think the two of you would be bang-on good mates. Might want to say hullo. Word's out he may end up scouted for the pros - he's that good."
James looked at the bumbling, round-faced boy Slughorn was pointing to and thought that he was sort of a burlier version of Peter Pettigrew. "I'll, er, check it out, sir," he said, nodding.
Slughorn grinned merrily, and turned to Remus, "Rumor has it you worked with Newt Scamander with some Charkorais birds? Is that true?"
"Named them Burt and Ernie," answered Remus, smiling.
Slughorn's lips parted widely and he beckoned Remus to follow him, "Come, come my boy, we simply must talk about this some more, come with me..." and with a wistful glance back at them, Remus was dragged off by Slughorn to go talk about his summer with all of Mr. Scamander's fantastic beasts in his suitcase laboratory.
James turned to the food table and Lily hesitated, then scrambled after him.
"Blimey quite a lot here, isn't there?" James murmured, taking up at plate and starting to load it up with a bit of everything.
"Yeah," Lily nodded.
"Blimey look at the assortment of puddings. Peter would flip. Wish I could take a photograph of all this just to show him," he laughed. "He'd probably eat the photograph!" Lily laughed nervously, staring up at him. A bit of his hair had fallen over his forehead as he looked down, filling his plate to heaping so that he had to hold it with his palm splayed beneath it. He laughed as he looked at the poor plate. "You're not getting anything?" he asked, seeing her hand was empty. "Probably just as well, you can help me eat mine. I think my eyes are bigger than my belly. Don't you reckon?" He was spooning out a thick bread pudding onto his plate and biting his tongue in concentration as he piled it precariously onto the side of his plate. "Ah yes, my masterpiece is built. Grab a couple forks, c'mon, I see some free space over there..."
Lily grabbed the forks and followed him, weaving through the crowd of people until they'd reached a table in the corner of the room with two overstuffed arm chairs on either side and James threw himself into one after putting the overfull plate onto the table and he eagerly grabbed the fork Lily handed him and dug into the pile of food he'd collected.
"Bloody hell, this is scrumptious," he said.
Lily sat, twisting the fork over in her palm. She looked over at him as James chewed, his eyes roving about the party.
"Try some of this bread pudding, Evans, it's a dream." He pushed the plate toward her. She stuck her fork in and collected a bite and smiled awkwardly as he watched her eat it with expectant eyes, smiling with excitement. He was right, it was really good - pillowy but not too eggy and a hint of sweetness that seemed to dance across her tongue as she ate. She smiled and nodded and he said, "Brilliant, 'ey? The house elves really outdo themselves every time, I swear it!" He dug back in with his fork, then turned to look about the room again.
Lily swallowed the pudding and put the fork down on the table, staring at him. "Potter."
He looked over at her, "Evans?"
"Have, uh, have you reconsidered going to the Yule Ball at all?" she asked awkwardly.
James shook his head, "Sirius put you up to this?" he laughed, "Bugger, he is. No, I'm not going to the Yule Ball. I plan on spending the night in the dorm, catch up on some terribly overdue homework, and make up some fresh plays for Quidditch... Oh, we have another game next week you know... against Hufflepuff. Are you going to come out to that one?"
"Yeah of course," Lily replied, then, back to the Yule Ball, "Well, what if you had someone that... that asked you to the Ball?"
James snickered, "Well I've been fending those off right well, haven't I? Loads of people have asked me. Guess the girls got sick and tired of waiting for me to ask them! They've been asking me all week. McKenna's asked twice. I finally had to tell her I was going with somebody else just to get her off of asking me! Dunno why nobody can understand I don't bloody want to go to the thing. I don't dance and when I do people laugh at me for it. No thanks."
Lily hesitated, then, "Well what if someone who... who wasn't McKenna asked you?"
"Oh other people have asked me, though. McKenna's just the one I mentioned on account of it being the latest... but there were others. Your friend Emmaline, for one, and Carly Shaw, even. Though I think Carly may have been meaning to be inquiring after Sirius... He just sort of shoved it onto me," James laughed, "Right panicked, he did. You should've seen him... She comes up to us in the corridor and she's got this vixen of a walk about her as she comes up and --"
"Potter-will-you-go-with-me-to-the-Yule-Ball?!" Lily said it all in one word.
James stared at her, stunned.
She stared back, a terrified expression about her face, eyes wide, biting her lower lip.
James's face crossed a myriad of different expressions - starting with shock then confusion, a moment of suspicion, then back to confusion... finally resting on disbelievingly quizzical. "What?" he asked. He stuck a finger in his ear as though to clean it out. "I'm sorry, something's clearly stuck in my ear and I've heard you wrong or - or something. What'd you say just now Evans?"
She flushed. "I asked if you'd go to the Yule Ball... with me."
James stared at her. "Alright," he said, "You... obviously really have been imperiused... confunded... something..."
"No, I haven't."
"That's what an imperiused person would say."
"Potter."
"Evans."
"Will you go with me or not? Yes or no, the answer's that simple."
James's brown eyes searched her green ones for a long moment as though trying to figure out what the joke of it was and finally he said, "Are you fucking serious?"
"No, I am," Remus said, walking over. He grinned at his own joke. "Oh please somebody tell Sirius Black I made that joke!"
Lily looked up. "Go away."
"What?"
"Go away, we're in the middle of something and you're ruining it again. Go away."
Remus looked at her, confused, but he backed away, carrying his champagne flute and the cookie he'd taken from James's pile of food.
James was still staring at Lily, having not even looked up to hear Remus's stupid pun. When Rey had left, James asked, "Evans, you're serious?"
"Yes."
"You want to go out with me?"
"Yes."
"You. Lily Jane Evans. Want to go to the Yule Ball. With me. James Charlus Potter."
"Yes."
"You know I'm me, yeah?" he asked.
"Yes, I know you're you."
James blinked at her in disbelief.
"Potter. Yes or no."
He reached for his arm and pinched and it hurt and he looked into her eyes. "Bloody hell. I'm not dreaming."
Lily shook her head.
"Bloody hell."
"Well?"
"Evans, of course I want to go to the bleedin' ball with you! I'd go to the ends of the damned earth with you."
Lily flushed, "Well. Then. That's settled then, isn't it?"
James stared at her, he still looked all weirdly wide-eyed.
"You can stop looking at me like that now," she said, feeling nervous.
"Sorry." James looked down at his lap. Then he looked back up at her, "You're sure you aren't imperiused?"
"Positive," Lily replied.
James swallowed back nerves and let it sink in what had just happened and a smile trembled it's way over his lips. "Blimey. I dunno what to - to say or - or what to - blimey." His eyes danced.
Lily bit her lip and giggled quietly at how adorable James looked with that sparkle to his eyes and grin on his lips - the one with the hung up tooth. Her heart was like a gazelle leaping about her... or a stag, perhaps... and she wondered why the hell she'd waited so bloody long to do this....
Suddenly the door to Slughorn's office opened and Professor McGonagall stepped in. She was holding a parchment and her mouth was in a grim line. She walked across the room and took the needle off the record on the monophone. The music came to a very sudden stop.
Everyone else in the party turned 'round to look. Regulus stood upright from where he'd been leaning before Maryrose and Remus stopped picking at the food on the table and James even broke the stare he had going on Lily.
"Minerva," said Horace Slughorn cheerfully, "Welcome. We're just having a spot of brunch, you're welcome to join us!"
"No, thank you, Professor Slughorn," she said and her voice broke a bit funny and James's eyebrows came together with concern. "I'm here on to collect one of the students attending your event..." Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, but her voice still shook as she called out, "Lily Evans?"
Lily blinked in surprise as McGonagall called off her name. She looked at James, who looked back at her with concern in his eyes. Lily stood up slowly, "Professor... here I am," she said.
McGonagall wagged her fingers, "Come with me, Miss. Evans."
Lily looked back at James one more time over her shoulder as he stared up at her, watching her walk across the room...