Author's note: I'm sorry, I know this chapter took a while, but as you can see, it's so bloody long, I had to take my time. Forgive me for the outrageous number of references to Shakespeare I include in the conversation between Lily and Remus, but I can't help it. If it feels natural...
Once again, I adore my Lily. She's so... impatient and ballsy, sadly not when it's most needed. She's still too defeated to stand up to her parents, but that's why James is there!! Much love for them both...
This chapter is completely, utterly, totally and Huzzah-rifically devoted to my fellow canon loving, Shakespeare reading, internet-best-friend vea. She's right in the middle of her AP tests at the moment, so I want everyone to pity her predicament! She gave Elvira Patil (who we will be seeing more of in this fic) her name, provided me with endless treats from her own fic, and has generally brightened my day, every day, since I became acquainted with her. Massive hugs from me and James Potter, although his will probably be more appreciated. He's incredibly perfect and I'm not...
-A Case of Mistaken Identity-
Edward Chamberly, true to his word, returned to his Brighton manor on Friday morning, bringing with him a barrage of gifts for his potential fiancée. Lily was awoken by Laura and brought down to breakfast to be greeted with perfume, a necklace, the biggest bunch of lilies she had ever seen in her life, and a white muslin dress.
`All for you, I was hoping that the lady would oblige me and wear this to the ball tomorrow?'
She smiled and nodded graciously.
`I would of course. It is a beautiful dress.'
It caused her great pains to admit it, but it was a beautiful dress. Delicately woven with a pink sash and bow, a full skirt, a pink fan, and earrings to complete it, it was without a doubt one of the finer dresses she had ever been in possession of. The perfume was sweet, although a tad overpowering, the necklace was rose quartz, presumably to match the dress, and the lilies were exquisite. Clearly, Chamberly had put a lot of effort into buying here these presents.
Her immediate feelings went from guilt, for not sharing his affection, to anger, for his trying to buy her affection with gifts, to a dismal satisfaction. These gifts, as wonderful as they were, were not the type of gifts that Lily had ever desired to receive from a suitor. She cared little for jewelry or fashion, perfume irritated her skin, and as for the flowers, her ideal would be both ironic and intelligent enough not to buy her lilies just because that was her name. But, she reminded herself, as she smoothed her hair down and stepped through the large oak doors into the ballroom on Saturday evening, it was just something she would have to make do with.
***
`James dear, just give me the wand,' said Margaret Lupin, with narrowed eyes.
James grinned widely.
`I am afraid, madam, that I just cannot be parted with Rupert.'
`Rupert?' she replied, puzzled.
`James named his wand Rupert. I'm still not quite sure why,' Sirius explained, twirling his own wand in his fingers.
`I find my wand responds better to me when I treat it as an equal.'
`Very well then, give Rupert,' she winced. `to me.'
James shook his head.
`It is Sirius who should be giving you the wand. I never cause any trouble at these... events,' he pronounced the word as if it tasted bad on his tongue. `Therefore, Rupert is staying with me.'
`All right!' Margaret cried vehemently. `If you cause any more trouble, on your own head be it!'
Being apt to favor Sirius, Margaret tended to side with him over James, something which Sirius found incredibly amusing, and used to his advantage.
`Now, not a word about magic is to be mentioned whilst we are here, understood?'
`We will be as good as gold, mother,' Remus replied, bowing deeply.
`Well behaved gold, of course,' Sirius interjected. `I've seen some very naughty necklaces in my time.'
Peter burst out laughing.
Margaret let out an exasperated sigh and turned away to hide her smile. She really was much too fond of those four.
The front door of the Chamberly manor was opened, and they were ushered inside. Upon entering the grand ballroom, they were immediately born down upon by none other than Chamberly himself.
`Sir David, how absolutely delightful it is to see you! And Mrs. Lupin, you are looking as wonderful as ever, how have you both been?' he cried, playing the charming host to the tee.
`Fantastic, thanks, Edward. I trust you remember my son and his friends?" David Lupin replied.
Chamberly beamed.
`Remus Lupin, haven't seen you in the longest time. How have you been?'
`Very well sir, very well.'
`And Sirius Black! Still being headhunted by eligible bachelorettes, eh?'
`Unfortunately,' Sirius replied, looking effortlessly bored.
`Philip!'
`Peter,' Peter mumbled.
`How are you?'
`Terrible, thank you.'
`Good to hear, good to hear,' Chamberly replied offhandedly, already turning to shake hands with the Marauder who was undoubtedly his favorite.
`James Potter,' he said proudly, almost as if surveying a prime racehorse. `Great to see you, my lad.'
`Likewise,' James replied cheerily, allowing Chamberly to pump his hand up and down.
`The last year has treated you kindly, I see,' Chamberly added, no doubt referring to the fact that James had grown about half a foot since last July.
`And you,' James replied, trying not to look at Chamberly's waistband, which was noticeably larger.
For five more minutes, they were greeted by various guests whom they knew and were introduced to those who they didn't, until Remus' mother dragged her only son off to be introduced to Lady Elgebry's daughter Mavis, a girl who was, coincidentally enough, his age and currently looking for a suitor, leaving the three remaining boys with Chamberly. Her son's Lycanthrophy had not put her off her quest to find him a wife, it seemed.
`His mother isn't going to rest until she gets that boy married off,' he remarked.
`She will be trying for a long time, I fear, Remus is very fussy,' said Sirius solemnly.
`Oh yes, very fussy,' James agreed, nodding seriously.
`Well,' Chamberly replied, undeterred. `The woman who marries that boy is a lucky one.'
He chucked merrily, and looked around at the other three.
`Well, does anyone have any news for me? Any sweethearts yet?' he pressed on, in his usual Chamberly way. They were used to it. He was trying to bring the conversation around to a topic about which he could boast, and this undoubtedly had something to do with the girl from Cheshire. James speculated idly on what type of girl would ever stoop so low as to adhere to a marriage with such a fool. Some homely, desperate, pathetic little thing, no doubt. He noticed a rather unattractive young blonde woman with a horsy face in the corner and wondered if that was her.
`Sadly not. I can't seem find a woman to suit me,' he answered wickedly.
`And alas, I seem to have too many to choose from,' said Sirius, stifling a yawn.
`You have not been looking in the right places,' said Chamberly mysteriously, tapping his nose. `Come with me boys, and I'll tell you something.'
He led them into a small parlor off the main ballroom, whereupon a group of men were gathered, talking about horse racing and hunting. Leading the way up to the tallest man in the room, Chamberly cleared his throat and extended his arm.
Lord Charles Evans, I would like you to meet some very upstanding young men.'
The tall, formidable looking man turned to face them, and surveyed each boy as if he were under scrutiny.
`And what are the names of these upstanding young men, Edward?'
Chamberly introduced them one by one, finishing on James with a flourish as usual. He did this almost every time he introduced the Marauders to anybody, almost as if James were the prize jewel in his collection. James couldn't understand Chamberly's penchant for him at all, but he put up with it, because it was wildly amusing to tease him behind his back. The older man seemed to think that all four Marauders considered him someone to be admired, so he spent most of his time boasting and bragging about places he'd seen and things he had done, foolishly thinking that they must surely be in awe of him.
James extended his hand to the refined looking Lord Evans.
`Nice to meet you sir.'
Charles Evans didn't move his hand at first, he was still examining James as he had done with Sirius and Peter, but he must have found him presentable because a second later, he shook his hand and smiled.
`You have a good, strong handshake, Mr. Potter. I like to see that in a lad.'
Needless to say, James took an instant liking to this somewhat bizarre man.
`Charles and his wife are here for the summer with their daughter, Lily,' Chamberly began, his face impassive but his voice betraying his smugness. `They came all the way down from Cheshire to stay.'
`On that subject, where is my little flower?' Lord Evans inquired of no one in particular.
`I have not seen her yet Charles, most likely she's still in her room. I shall send Louise up to check if you would like.'
`No matter, leave Laura where she is, Lily will be down when she is ready. She is probably with her mother somewhere.'
Very well then, we shall wait for them. Can I offer anyone a cigar?'
James groaned inwardly. If he had a Sickle for every cigar he had been offered by Edward Chamberly, he would be fully able to buy St. Mungos fifty times over. He made it very clear that he detested the vile things, but Chamberly would offer one on every meeting without fail. It was one of his irritating little traits that made James want to transfigure him into a beetle and squash him until he was no more than a speck of dirt on his annoyingly tight shoe, that Remus' mother had insisted upon him wearing.
`No thank you,' Peter replied.
Sirius just about managed to grunt uninterestedly.
`James?' Chamberly wheedled, holding one out to him.
`No thank you Edward,' he replied.
He grinned at Sirius, who had evidently decided not to bother stifling his yawns at this point.
`Charles, how about you. A cigar?'
`No thank you Edward, I have no liking for them at all.'
`Well, all the more for me, I say, Philip my lad!' Chamberly exclaimed, having spied Peter making his way over to the food. `Starting on the grub already, eh? Getting a bit rotund now, aren't we?'
`That is a case of the pot calling the kettle black if I've ever heard one, 'thought James, staring at Chamberly's stomach, which looked remarkably odd in contrast to the rest of his lean physique. He caught Lord Evans doing the same thing, and snickered.
They chatted about uninteresting topics for a few moments, before Lord Evans excused himself, saying that he needed to talk to Vernon. The second he had left, Chamberly dropped his polite and pleasant manner and grinned perversely.
`That, boys, was my future father in law.'
James nodded, Peter's eyes widened in surprise, and Sirius raised one eyebrow with mild interest.
`May I be the first to offer my congratulations, Edward,' said James.
He should have been offering the girl commiserations. Edward Chamberly might be polite and charming in public, but James knew what he was really like, and he pitied any girl who was foolhardy enough to fall for his front.
`We heard that you were engaged,' said Peter.
`Oh, not yet, not yet,' said Chamberly secretively. `But I will be, give me a couple of weeks, and I guarantee you, myself and Lily Evans will be announcing our engagement at the house party.'
`You seem very confident,' Sirius remarked disbelievingly.
`I have every reason to be confident. Her mother and I have been planning it for months, her father consents, her brother-in-law is my cousin, and as for the girl herself, she is already eating out of my very hand.'
`Well then, my congratulations were not misplaced,' James finished.
Chamberly grinned widely.
`Oh, I have not gotten to the best part, boys,' he began, clapping a hand each on one of James and Peter's shoulders and beginning to lead them towards the ballroom. `Wait until you see her! Such an attractive girl I have never seen before,' he shook his head. `Just wait, wait until you see her, you'll be green up with envy, green! I doubt that even young Mr. Black here could attract a lady so becoming.'
James exchanged as sideways glance with Sirius, each thinking the same thing. Chamberly was all mouth and no trousers. This girl was probably the ugliest little wench imaginable, and he was making her out to be a beauty, just like he always did. Edward Chamberly could never resist over-exaggerating.
****
Fifteen minutes into this pitiable excuse for a ball, and Lily Evans was ready to climb the walls.
It had become apparent about fourteen minutes and fifty seconds ago that this was not a ball, so much as her mother's chance to pass Lily around for public viewing, almost as if she were a newly acquired vase. She had been suspicious when Lady Catherine had prevented her from going downstairs until ten minutes after the ball had begun and her suspicions had been proven correct. Her mother insisted upon bursting through the main ballroom doors and displaying her daughter with a grand flourish, ensuring that every head had turned to see them. She had then been dragged straight over to the many aristocratic associates of Chamberly and her parents, thus prompting many `Oohs', `Aahs' and the odd cry of `Isn't she beautiful!'. Chamberly himself was nowhere to be seen, all the better for Lily, but most unusually, it didn't add to her enjoyment. In fact, she was running low on people to mentally murder, Chamberly being her favorite `victim', thus, she was trying to find other ways to amuse herself. If only there was someone she could have a semi-decent conversation with, but everyone in the room seemed to be concerned with nothing but gossip.
She had managed to extract herself from her mother, feigning a need to use the bathroom, and she was standing beside a wooden Grandfather clock. The crowd in front of her was large and her mother was on the other side of the room, so she was hoping for a few moments in peace. She examined her nails idly and listened to bits of conversation going on around her, cringing inwardly at the mountainous praise that was being heaped on the host and her husband-to-be.
She heard a nervous sounding voice waft over the crowd, getting gradually louder as it came her way, and her ears pricked up.
`Yes, yes mother, I will be back in just a minute. Yes, I promise. It was nice meeting you, Miss Mavis.'
The slow, pleasant voice sounded slightly familiar to Lily. She cast her mind back over the previous few days to try and remember where she had heard it, but she needn't have bothered, as the owner of the voice collided with her about four seconds later. She felt a surge of irritation and turned to berate the mysterious voiced one for being so clumsy, but she stopped.
She stopped because, just in time, she remembered that it wouldn't do to take her anger out on this completely innocent person, especially since she had been the one staring vacantly at her hands and not concentrating on her surroundings. She was also too flabbergasted to speak.
`Why, what a surprise, how nice to meet you again,' was the cordial greeting she received from the owner of the voice, who she definitely now recognized.
She quickly regained her own voice, which had been momentarily lost, and exclaimed with glee.
`This is a surprise, a lovely one at that. I can't believe I am seeing you here, Remus? Is it Remus? I am so terrible at remembering names, although I am quite sure it is Remus, it is not often I hear such a nice and interesting name, and...' she blushed. Of all the people she had expected to see at this horrible ball, she was not expecting to see this particular boy, this wonderful aide memoir of that beautiful day she had spent at the beach. The only other reminder she had was the lost Snitch, which was at present locked in the bottom of her biggest trunk, struggling to find an escape route. She had wanted to keep it with her, but obviously, that wasn't possible. Seeing this boy made it all the more real to her, and her spirits lifted. Unfortunately, when Lily got excited, she tended to ramble.
`I am sorry. It is lovely to see you.'
He smiled warmly and held out his hand for her to shake, which took her aback a little. She had never been asked to shake hands with a man before, like an equal. Why, it was unheard of! Remus seemed to remember this formality, for he withdrew his hand and bowed his head, reddening slightly.
`May I return the sentiment? My name is indeed Remus,' he smiled again, and Lily felt as if she had met a kindred spirit. `Remus Lupin.'
`Remus Lupin!' she cried. "What an unusual, beautiful name! It sounds like something straight from a novel, or a play by Shakespeare, or...'
Remus Lupin raised his eyebrows confusedly.
`Oh, I am sorry, I am so, so sorry, but it really is, in fact, you even look as if you belong in a work of Shakespeare. Has anyone ever told you that?'
She was surprised at her own boldness and froze immediately. What was she jabbering on about? She sounded like an inebriated fool! He must think her mad.
`Not Romeo and Juliet, I hope?' he replied humorously. `I never really cared for Romeo.'
A wave of relief washed over her.
`Of course not! Romeo and Juliet were far too...'
`Foolish?'
`Yes! I have always thought so!'
He chuckled.
`I agree, their characters were much too whimsical and irrational,' he glanced around before continuing. `Personally, I always enjoyed Hamlet more than any other. Perhaps you could fit me in there?'
`Hamlet?' Lily repeated slowly, contemplating the suggestion. He didn't suit the character somehow.
`I would not care to be Hamlet, of course. I always rather preferred-`
`Horatio!' she finished triumphantly.
`Precisely.'
`I must say, I can see Horatio in you, Remus Lupin,' said Lily, her eyes dancing with fun. Here was somebody she could have an intelligent conversation with. What luck!
`And in you,' he pondered for a moment. `I cannot see Ophelia or Gertrude. I think you do not belong in Hamlet.'
`That I most certainly do not!'
He grinned.
`But of course, you would make a wonderful Portia,' he laughed as Lily's eyes lit up `With Titian hair, of course.'
She had been right about Remus Lupin. He was indeed as personable and intelligent as he had appeared.
`Portia,' said she delightedly. `You have made my day, Mr. Lupin.'
`That reminds me,' he replied, inclining his head. `I do not know your name yet.'
`Oh, how silly of me. My name is Lily Evans.'
`Well now that we are properly acquainted, it is very nice to meet you, Miss Evans.'
She laughed.
`And you. Tell, why on earth are you at this ball?'
`I don't usually go to balls, only during summer. My three friends and I stay at my home every year and my mother insists upon bringing us with her. We live about five minutes walk away from here, in the house on the hill. You've seen it?'
`Oh yes, I saw it on my way here. I thought it to be quite splendid. I presume that the other ice creams were for your friends the other day? Unless, of course, you have a rather large appetite?'
`They were my friends, yes. Actually, I was just about to go looking for them. My mother dragged me away from them to meet a girl from London.'
Oh, I see,' said Lily, suppressing a laugh. `Looking for a wife?'
`My mother is, I can't say the same for myself.'
He went red again, and Lily berated herself for asking such a probing question. She had a rather nasty habit, or so her mother told her, of always saying the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time. She cast her mind around for another question to ask him, but he beat her to it.
`So, why are you here in Brighton?'
`I am staying for the summer with my parents. We came from Cheshire.'
He furrowed his brow.
`Cheshire?'
She nodded.
`Yes, Cheshire. Have you ever been?'
`Why, no I can't say that I have,' he was looking at her as if something confused him greatly. `I have heard it is very nice.'
That was when comprehension dawned. He knew. His parents knew. Even his friends probably knew. Her eventual marriage to Edward Chamberly was not a speculation, it was fact. She felt a sick, swooping feeling somewhere in the region of her stomach.
`You don't happen to know Lord Chamberly personally, do you?' she questioned, suddenly curious as to his opinion on their host.
`I know him fairly well. I have done all my life, but since I started at boarding school seven years ago, I have not seen him so much. He is probably with my friends somewhere.'
`Seven year? That's a long while; I didn't know higher education lasted so long.'
`It doesn't usually, but my parents were keen to send me to the best school possible.'
`Where did you go?'
`St. Andrews,' he replied, looking distinctly nervy.
`Is that in Scotland?'
`Yes, it is,' she was about to question him further, but he changed the subject. `What were you saying about Lord Chamberly?'
His abrupt question threw her, and judging by his uncomfortable expression, Lily deduced that school was something he wasn't keen on discussing.
`Oh, yes, Lord Chamberly.'
There was a rather awkward silence between the two.
`Do you like him?' she suddenly fired at him. She knew it was a bit blunt, but with her mood currently alternating between giddy and agitated, she wasn't in the mood for caring.
Remus did not look stumped by her question. On the contrary, he was looking at her with a kind of grim understanding.
`I like him well enough, he wouldn't be-`
`Lily?'
She winced at the sound of her mother's voice.
`Is someone looking for you?' said Remus.
`Yes, my mother,' Lily replied, crouching slightly and looking around. `Would you excuse me, I really need to...'
`Escape her?'
She laughed nervously.
`Something along those lines, yes.'
`Please, go that way. I'll ward her off for you, Miss Evans.' He smiled warmly at her and she felt her spirits lift slightly.
`It was nice to meet you again, Mr. Lupin.'
`And I am sure I will meet you again. Keep a wary eye out for my friends, won't you; they can be rather mischievous when they want.'
`Will do,' she called absently, already beginning to weave her way through the milling crowd. She managed to dodge her sister, who also seemed to be looking for her, sprint out of her father's line of vision, and find herself facing what seemed to be a large curtained recess. Slipping behind it, she saw a pile of cushions sitting beside a grand piano right beside her and sank gratefully into them.
She had just managed to make herself comfortable, when the sound of close-by voices made her jump. Peering around the piano, she saw the dark outlines of two men who were facing away from her, peeking out from behind the curtain at the other end of the recess. It seemed she was not the only one hiding at present, and judging by their low tones, they did not want to be heard.
She was torn. Being inquisitive by nature, she took a secret pleasure in eavesdropping, wrong as she knew it was. The idea of listening in on a secret conversation was embarrassingly inviting to her. On the other hand, if she was caught eavesdropping by these two strangers, she would definitely be in trouble. Her mother would be told, that was for sure, and she really wasn't in the mood to listen to another lecture. But then again, how would she escape? It was a miracle they hadn't seen her enter, and she didn't want to risk being caught.
She didn't have time to consider the matter any further, as one of the mysterious men made up her mind for her.
`Have you seen the girl Chamberly is supposed to be marrying?' The voice definitely belonged to a man; there was no doubt about that, although he sounded younger than Chamberly. Was he nearer her own age, perhaps?
`She is an ugly, homey thing, I expect?' The second voice was also of a man, this time slightly raspier.
Why were they talking about her?
`Naturally, and to think Chamberly makes her out to be a beauty.'
She felt a little hurt at this statement, but she disregarded it. Her looks weren't terribly important to her in the grand scheme of things.
`Just like him really, isn't it?'
`My, how that man irritates me.' said the first man tetchily.
`You don't need to tell me about it.'
`But I do, my friend, I do. You aren't the one the stupid man calls his favorite. That dubious honor had been bestowed upon me and me alone.'
`Well, unless you plan on doing something about it, you will just have to live with it,' said the second man, with a definite hint of mischief in his voice, almost as if he were daring his companion to do something about it.
Why on earth did he hate Chamberly so much? Lily despised him herself, but even she knew that her dislike was undeserved. He didn't seem bad enough to warrant hate. She had a reason (however strange and unwarranted it was) to dislike him, but these men were relevant strangers, at least to her. Or maybe they weren't. Had Chamberly done something he wanted to keep quiet? Her curiosity increased and she strained her ears, noticing that nothing had been said for at least ten seconds.
`Are you suggesting something?' said the first voice, very slowly.
`Me? Suggesting something? Never,' said the second man, sounding distinctly evil, Lily thought.
`So, if you were to, not suggest something, what would you not suggest?'
`I don't know, what would you not suggest? We could swap non suggestions.'
There was another long silence, in which a slither of light peeked between the curtains. One of the men had pulled back the curtain again. In the dim light, Lily could make out something glinting on his face, probably glasses, and what seemed to be very untidy hair. Even from the side, she could tell he was grinning.
`The girl.'
His companion made a strange movement.
`What girl?'
`Honestly Padfoot, do you listen at all?'
`No,' replied the man who was seemingly named Padfoot. What an odd name.
`Chamberly's girl, his supposed fiancée, this Lily Evans.'
Lily tensed, if Chamberly had enemies and they were planning to avenge themselves upon her, she was going to go straight to her father and tell him.
`What about her?'
`I could seduce her.'
She wasn't sure what shocked her more, his pronouncement or the sudden bark of laughter that came from Padfoot, shattering the quietness around them. Surely this man wasn't serious? She must have misheard him.
`You want to seduce that pitiful creature?'
`I don't want to Padfoot, have you seen her? I was just saying that I could.'
`Quite confident, aren't we? What exactly do you mean by seduce?'
`Well, I'm thinking. I introduce myself, we dance, we chat, and I compliment her a bit. You know how they go for all that nonsense.'
There was a disbelieving snort from his friend.
`I call over on a few occasions, spend a bit of time with her, announce my undying love and all that and,' there was a slight pause. `She falls in love with me.'
`You couldn't.'
`Yes I could.'
`No you couldn't.'
`I could do it in two weeks, I guarantee you. I could have Miss Lily Evans eating out of my hand before the summer is over.'
Lily heard no more after that, for she scrambled up from the floor and slipped back through the curtains, not caring if they turned and saw her.
Anger bubbled up in her chest as she walked back in the direction of her mother. How dare they? How dare they, those two complete strangers, talk about her as if she were some object, a pathetic little girl, a mere pawn to be used in a game of revenge. It was bad enough to endure the treatment from her family, but to sit there and listen to an unknown man talk about her as if she were insignificant, it tore at her insides. She may have to marry Chamberly and may have to obey her mother's every whim, but Lily Evans was not going to stand for being bullied. There might be nothing she could do to prevent her current situation from occurring, but she would be dammed if she let anybody else get one up on her.
At least, thought Lily with grim satisfaction as she reached the refreshment table, she had someone upon whom to vent her temper. Now she just had to find him.
And he would regret ever picking her to play with.
***
James chewed his lip and cautiously peered around the heavy velvet curtain.
`Do you think he knows where we're gone yet?' said Sirius.
He turned to face his friend. They were currently hiding in a curtained recess, having slipped away from Chamberly about twenty minutes ago. They had spent a good five minutes laughing at Chamberlys befuddled attempt to search for them, laughed even harder at Peter's frantic search and James had since learned that the thin, horsy woman was Lily Evans, at least she must have been, as Charles Evans had hugged her affectionately when he had seen her. Chamberly was currently standing with them and the girl was nodding and smiling away like a puppet. He jumped slightly when he heard a rustling noise behind him.
`Did you hear that?'
Sirius, who was blessed with excellent hearing, shook his head.
`I wasn't paying attention.'
James started exasperatedly at his friend for a second.
`Oh, never mind.'
He let the curtain close before his face.
`Have you seen the girl Chamberly is supposed to be marrying?' said he conversationally.
`She is an ugly, homey thing, I expect?'
`Naturally, and to think Chamberly makes her out to be a beauty.'
`Just like him really, isn't it?'
`My, how that man irritates me.'
`You don't need to tell me about it.'
`But I do, my friend, I do. You aren't the one the stupid man calls his favorite. That dubious honor had been bestowed upon me and me alone.'
`Well, unless you plan on doing something about it, you will just have to live with it.'
There was a silence in which James contemplated his friend, who was wearing a look that he had seen before and was used to. Sirius evidently liked the idea of plotting against Edward Chamberly very, very much.
`Are you suggesting something?' said James, very slowly.
`Me? Suggesting something? Never,' Sirius replied innocently, although his evil smirk and raised eyebrows were telling a different story.
`So, if you were to, not suggest something, what would you not suggest?'
`I don't know, what would you not suggest? We could swap non suggestions.'
James thought for a minute, turning his gaze back out onto the packed ballroom. His gaze fell again on Chamberly, who was standing next to the thin, horsy young woman he had seen earlier. He would have bet his Golden Snitch (that is, if he ever found it again) that that woman was Chamberly's future fiancée.
A triumphant grin spread across his handsome face.
`The girl.'
Sirius cocked his head.
`What girl?'
`Honestly Padfoot, do you listen at all?'
`No,' he replied bluntly, scratching his nose.
`Chamberly's girl, his supposed fiancée, this Lily Evans.'
`What about her?'
His grin widened.
`I could seduce her.'
Sirius let out a barking laugh.
`You want to seduce that pitiful creature?'
I don't want to Padfoot, have you seen her? I was just saying that I could.
`Quite confident, aren't we? What exactly do you mean by seduce?'
`Well, I'm thinking. I introduce myself, we dance, we chat, and I compliment her a bit. You know how they go for all that nonsense.'
Sirius rolled his eyes and snorted.
`I call over on a few occasions, spend a bit of time with her, announce my undying love and all that and,' he stretched and clasped his hands behind his head. `She falls in love with me.'
`You couldn't.'
`Yes I could.'
`No you couldn't.'
`I could do it in two weeks, I guarantee you. I could have Miss Lily Evans eating out of my hand before the summer is over.'
Sirius fell silent, and James was positive that he heard the rustling noise again. He made a move towards the grand piano at the other end of the recess, sure that the noise had come from there.
`That's not what I mean.'
James stopped, and turned his head towards Sirius once more.
`Do you doubt my ability?' he asked, in a mock-challenging voice.
`I might do,' Sirius began dryly. `But I don't mean that. You couldn't do that to a girl.'
He knew his friend was right. As much as James would joke about it, he could never bring himself to hurt a girl like that. Playing with somebody's heart was low, even if it was to hurt someone like Chamberly.
`Do what?' Remus' voice was heard from the other side of the curtain.
`Remus!' James cried, pulling back the curtain to reveal his friend, who was wearing a suspicious look. `Come hear our plan!'
`What plan?'
`Prongs here was thinking of seducing Chamberly's little sweetheart.'
`Why?' he asked, his voice icy and apprehensive.
`I'm bored,' he replied smugly, enjoying the joke.
Remus' eyes narrowed, and he glanced from Sirius to James and back again.
`You wouldn't.'
`Why wouldn't he?' said Sirius, trying to hide his laugh.
`I met her earlier, and she's a very nice young woman. Don't look at me like that Sirius, she doesn't deserve such treatment. Think of the trouble you could get her in. I swear on Merlin himself-`
`Moony, Moony, calm down,' James reassured him. `It was all in jest. I would never do a thing like that.'
He stared stonily at them for a few minutes, before turning on his heel.
`Mother told me to tell you both to come out from your hiding place and join us.'
***
`Quite eye-catching, isn't she?' Chamberly remarked.
`She is pretty!' cried Peter, in a voice which betrayed his complete shock.
`So so,' said Sirius, abandoning them in search of some peace and quiet.
`Well Potter, I told you she was a looker, what do you think?'
James didn't answer.
In fact, he wasn't even following in the direction of Chamberly's pointing finger. He already knew what Lily Evans looked like and he had no desire to see her again. This, however, was not the reason behind his lack of attention. He was paying attention all right, except his attention had been caught by someone else.
She stood on the edge of a group of people who were all talking animatedly, but she didn't seem to be paying attention, gazing blankly at a spot in front of her as if her entire heart and soul were absorbed in it. Every now and then she would nod and smile absently, but her companions didn't seem to notice her obvious unhappiness, nor did she seem to care. She looked like she was lost in a completely different world, and her entire aura was one of mystery. An attentive observer would know from just one look at this girl that she was something out of the ordinary. There was something about her, something James just couldn't place.
She was also, to put it simply, exquisitely beautiful.
Not beautiful in any classical sense. In fact, the ordinary observer would probably pronounce her moderately pretty.
But not James Potter.
She was tall, slim, willowy and graceful, garbed in a delicate white and pink dress that swayed slightly when she moved. Her skin was pale and creamy and her complexion clear. Her lips were bow shaped; her top lip slightly bigger than her bottom. Her eyes, James couldn't quite make out the color of her eyes from this far away, but even from here it was evident that they were bright and vivid. Her hair was red, a deep, dark red; and it was tightly bundled up atop her head, blazing against her otherwise fair form. It had been her hair that had caught out of the corner of his eye, the reason he had turned and saw her in the first place. James had always been wont to favor red-haired women, and he felt it a pity that hers wasn't let loose and flowing.
James could not recollect one moment in his short life where he had felt this suddenly and violently attracted to someone. He had simply turned around to find himself gazing at this stunning girl without a seconds warning, and found his heart hammering in his chest. He continued to watch, mesmerized, as she was addressed by a man nearer to Chamberly's age than his own, and felt a sudden possessive longing to march over and kiss her. How dare that man talk to her! From that second on, a decision had been formed in his confused, lust-clouded mind. She was his.
All coherent thought stopped as she turned her head and looked in his direction.
***
She knew from the second she locked eyes with him that she had found the mysterious man from behind the curtain.
Maybe it was instinct that told her, maybe because this man seemed to suit the voice she had heard, or maybe it was just because he was the only man in the room with the unruly hair she had seen in the dim light of the recess, but she would have bet all of her magical ability that this was him.
He was tall, probably a few inches taller than herself, she noted, with broad shoulders and long limbs. His face was thin and handsome, his expression serious, and the wire rimmed glasses he wore seemed to heighten his appeal, rather than lessen it. The messy hair that she had recognized was jet black and feathery looking, creating a pleasing effect against his pale skin; and his lips were gorgeous. All in all, she concluded, her newfound enemy was rather blessed in the looks department, no wonder he had been so confident in his conviction that he could seduce her. Had she not been intensely angry with him, she would have found him attractive.
Her original plan upon leaving the recess had been to confront him and give him a telling off (maybe a hex or two if she could manage it) but, for reasons unbeknownst to her, a newer, better plan had formed in her mind. She would introduce herself to this man, she would dance with him and she would accept his compliments. She would allow him to call over as much as he liked, spend as much time with him as possible, and she would listen to him declare his love for her. The only difference between his plan and hers was that it was he, and not she, who would be falling in love. She was going to ensure that when he made his proclamation, every single word of it was true.
Then she was going to snub him mercilessly.
It was vicious, but she was too incensed to care. No man would best Lily Evans if she could help it.
Now all she had to do was introduce herself.
***
Miss Lily Evans was best described as a rather... proactive person. When she wanted something done, she usually thought it best to do it herself, which was precisely what she did on this occasion. After waiting nearly an hour for someone to introduce her to the cretin from behind the curtain, as she had so fondly dubbed him in her mind, she concluded that it would never happen unless she did it herself. Not caring in the least how inappropriate her actions were (and she knew they were, a lady should never walk over to an unknown gentleman and begin a conversation) she strode across the ballroom floor and proceeded to make her presence known.
James was talking with his three best friends, although admittedly, his mind was elsewhere, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he found himself face to face with the beautiful woman who had been occupying his mind for the best part of an hour.
To say he was surprised was an understatement. He had been trying to get close to her all evening, but every time he attempted it, someone would whisk either her or him away and he would lose sight of her. Now she was standing right in front of him with an oddly challenging expression on her face.
`Can I help you?' was all he managed to say to her.
Her eyes were green, such a beautiful emerald green.
`I think you can sir,' was all she said in return.
`How so.'
Her expression remained unchanged, save for her blinking a few times before answering him.
`I want you to ask me to dance.'
She could not have dropped a bigger bombshell if she had announced her intention to murder him on the spot. Peter gasped, Remus' eyes widened in comical surprise and even Sirius was noticeably shaken. It simply wasn't done for a woman to be so forward.
If James was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead he took a step towards her.
`I would be most honored if you deemed my humble self fit for a dance, my lady.'
She held up her hand and allowed him to lead her towards the ballroom floor, not taking her eyes off his face for a second.
Sirius, Peter and Remus stood in complete shock. Although Lily had been talking to Remus earlier, she hadn't even noticed his presence.
`I thought James said that he wasn't going to try seduce her?' he eventually managed to splutter out.
`He isn't. Whatever gave you the idea that he did?' said Sirius.
`He's dancing with her right now!'
`But I thought that Lily Evans was the blonde...,' Sirius trailed off, comprehension dawning.
`Well this should be interesting.'
Yet another author's note: I know that the moment they first see each other might seem a little clichéd, so I would like to stomp on that theory, as I detest clichés. Neither Lily nor James fell in love at first sight. There was lust on James part, most definitely (come on, he's a bloke!), but they are far from being in love... yet. In fact, Lily doesn't like James very much...
I told you I wanted to keep it in canon, didn't I?!! Oh vea, many giggles on our part, eh?
Review please. I know most of you thought they were going to be crazy about each other and begin an affair right from the off, so I apologize. Please don't hate me!
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