Girl in the Looking Glass

Author's note: This idea just jumped into my head, and I had to write it, it just kind of pushed itself out. I know it's very overdone, but I have my own spin to put on it, and I really, really, loved it in my head, so please, review and be kind.

Just a little background info: This is obviously set over a hundred years ago. Obviously, the language isn't going to be exactly like it was then. Having not lived in the Edwardian era, I wouldn't know exactly how to speak in that manner, but I'll do my very best. I'm going to keep the characters as much in canon as possible. So, anyway, without further ado...

-Prologue-

The dress was black velvet, swathed tightly around her waist and gathered just under her chin with large, gold buttons. Long sleeves clung to her slender arms and white lace hung over her pale, pretty hands. The skirt was large and heavy, it would have been less restricting had it not been for the many underskirts and petticoats it concealed. She wore no jewelry save for the large, gold pendant her mother had given her for her last birthday, and her hair was rolled up in a tight bun.

The maid stood back to admire her handiwork, and her surveying mother clapped her hands and pranced in delight. This had been the effect Catherine had been going for. A pretty, well mannered daughter, the epitome of decorum and dignity. When Lord Chamberly came to dinner, he was sure to fall for her, there would be a wedding within a year, and Lady Catherine would finally be able to relax in the knowledge that both her daughters had made suitable matches.

`You look beautiful, my darling.'

Her daughter smiled, clasping her mothers hand with her own.

`I can't but help feeling anxious mother, what if the Lord doesn't like me?'

`He will be quite smitten with you, my darling, and quite rightfully so. What man wouldn't want a wife as accomplished and beautiful as you?'

The daughter blushed quite endearingly, and her mother stroked her face fondly.

`I shall go downstairs and see that Nicholas has set the table properly. I don't want to take any risks with this evening. Mary, come, leave my daughter to herself for a few minutes, to prepare.'

Lady Catherine swept regally from the room, with her ever faithful maid following right behind her. The very second they left; the smile was dropped from the young girls face as she turned around to survey herself in the looking glass.

It was too tight, this dress. Her father had given it to her just the other day, a present from Paris. It was the latest design, apparently, and her parents had been delighted when it was found to fit her most perfectly. This was just the dress her daughter could wear when Lord Chamberly was to call. It gave off just the right impression, of a rich, innocent girl, with a pleasing figure and a stately manner. It clung to her slim body, restricting her breathing and her movement.

It was her shroud.

The pendant, an old heirloom, had been passed from generation to generation of youngest daughters for many years. It was an antique, worth probably more than the dress, in the shape of a swan, with intricate patterns, all completely in gold.

How she hated gold jewelry. To her, it looked cheap and tasteless.

Her mother had called her beautiful, and she supposed she could agree with that, to an extent. She was tall and slender, with a milky complexion, a buttoned nose, rosy cheeks and an alluring smile. Her eyes were emerald green, almond shaped, and she hated them. She hated them because, even though she could smile and laugh, her eyes would always give away her sadness, her despair, her hunger for a life that she couldn't have. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily for her, no one ever noticed when her eyes were screaming with pain. Sometimes she hoped, in vain, that someone would notice, and sometimes she hoped that no one ever would.

Something she loved, almost as much as she hated her eyes, was her hair. Her hair seemed to signify the pent up personality she was in possession of. It was red. Not a carroty red, nor a blondish red, but a dark, fiery, crimson. It was thick, wavy, abundant and wild. When she let it down, it would tumble down past her shoulders and landed at her waist, flying this way and that, and never behaving itself. Her mother insisted that her hair be kept in a bun at all times, but at the end of the day, she would let it down and twirl in front of the mirror, feeling free for just a few moments, before she would tie it back up again..

Her mother had called her accomplished, but she didn't consider herself to be so. She could play clarinet, read French and German most easily, sing beautifully, sew, knit and crochet, and this was all her parents seemed to think she needed as an education. No one knew how she would sneak down to the library in the dead of night and read as many books as she could find, books that her mother deemed inappropriate for a young lady. No one knew of her interest in politics, in travel, in helping the lower classes or in poetry. No one knew how she had befriended the servants. No one knew that she would practice advanced magic, or that she was surprisingly adept at it.

No one knew how good an actress she was.

She bit back the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes, smoothed a stray hair, and fixed a smile upon her face. There was to be a dinner party tonight. Her father's business partners would be in attendance, as would some of her mother's acquaintances, her sister, her sister's husband, and his cousin, Lord Edward Chamberly. The man she was to be betrothed to.

He had spotted her a month ago at a country ball, and enquired as to who the enchanting redhead was. When her mother had gotten wind of it, she had invited him over to their next dinner party on the spot. It was widely known that the rich, charming and handsome Chamberly was looking for a wife, and her daughter was just the right age to marry. She had spent the most part of the day giving her daughter instructions.

Agree with everything Lord Chamberly says, remember to curtsey, sit up straight, don't let him know that you're a witch, don't talk too much, don't talk to little...

She had heard it all before, when her sister had been looking for a husband. As opposed to her, Petunia had been most delighted at the prospect of being betrothed, and as luck would have it, she had managed to marry a man she loved.

Somehow, she doubted that the same would happen to her.

But there wasn't time to worry about that now, her mother was calling her. She walked sedately towards the door, breathing in and out as deeply as her dress would allow her, and going over appropriate dinner conversation. Before she opened the door, she turned back and looked at the girl in the mirror.

She would go downstairs, have dinner, smile graciously at compliments, behave charmingly, and have a lovely time.

And then she would sign her life away.

-->

I forgot to add a disclaimer, so here it is: I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm not J.K.Rowling

-Broken, Healed and Shattered-

When Lily Marie Catherine Evans was eleven years old, a letter had sailed right through her window and landed on her bed, where she sat, reading a fairytale. A letter which, upon her reading of it, explained everything she had been unable to figure out about herself, and sent her straight into the seventh heaven of delight.

Finally, here was an explanation for all of the mysterious happening that occurred around her. It explained why her hair would grow back the day after it was cut. It explained why the porridge she detested would vanish completely from the bowl every morning when her parents weren't looking. It explained why, on one occasion when she had snuck down to the servant quarters and her mother had almost caught her, she had managed to vanish from the spot she had been standing in, only to reappear in front of her own bedroom.

She had thrown her storybook aside, raced downstairs to the drawing room, and announced to her mother, father, and three businessmen:

`Mother, mother, I'm a witch!'

Her parents had laughed airily, explaining to their guests that their youngest daughter had quite an overactive imagination, and liked to play pretend games with her sister. It was only when Lily persisted, insisting that she was a witch and she had a letter to prove it, that her mother dragged her from the room and berated her for embarrassing herself and her father in front of such important people. Without been given the chance to explain, she was brought up to her room and locked there for the rest of the day, as punishment for lying.

The letter came from Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. It told her that she was being offered a place, enclosed a booklist and directions to Diagon Alley, and was signed by a woman called Minerva McGonagall. That was all Lily knew, but it was enough to make her happier than she had ever been before or since. The next day, her mother and father had finally seen it, and their reaction was not what Lily had expected or hoped for. In her naivety, she had believed that her parents would be as delighted and proud as she was.

In fact, they had been horrified. Their daughter was a witch! They had never known that such people existed. To think that their daughter, their youngest daughter, would be so abnormal, it was appalling and disgraceful. What shame it would inflict upon the family if anyone were to find out.

So they had taken it from her, forbade her to mention it to anyone, and written back informing this `McGonagall character' that their daughter would not be attending Hogwarts.

And Lily's heart had broken.

Being a rather stubborn and unruly child, she had not easily given in to their whims. She kicked and screamed, threw things, upturned tables, cried, and made a spectacle of herself whenever they had company. She acted like this for exactly a month, until her parents had eventually given in and compromised. She could go to Diagon Alley, buy a wand, spellbooks and anything else she needed, and teach herself magic. On the subject of school they were unmovable. She would not be attending such a place, and that was final.

It had been enough for Lily. Accompanied by the household's two most trusted servants, she had bought everything she could find, and threw herself into learning magic in her free time. Her parents did try to prevent her as much as possible, sending her to a finishing school, busying her day with music lessons and calls, and letting her take riding lessons, something she had always wanted but never been allowed.

Despite their best efforts, Lily flourished under her own teaching. Showing an intelligence beyond her years and an aptitude that would have shocked her had she known other magical people of her age, she quickly mastered basic magic, and now, at age seventeen, she was as qualified as any Hogwarts seventh year, although she thought herself not to be. After all, who did she have to compare herself with?

Her parents were unaware of her powers, Lily having feigned an increasing disinterest in magic as she grew older. That way, she was left alone, she got no grief from her mother, and they had eventually let her leave that awful finishing school.

All in all, Lily had been reasonably content.

That was, until after Petunia had gotten married.

Petunia was Lily's senior by three years, and they were as similar as black and white, in looks as well as personality. Petunia was tall and tanned, with blonde hair, pale blue eyes, a long neck, and a boyish frame. Her only ambition in life was to marry and bear children, an ambition that had been fulfilled only two months ago, when she had given birth to her first son, Dudley. Her marriage to Lord Vernon Dursley had been widely publicized throughout England, and she had moved to London, where she was blissfully happy.

It pained Lily to think of her sister. As children, she and Petunia were the best of friends. They would dance and sing around the manor, dressing in their mothers party gowns and pretending to be princesses in a faraway land, trapped in a tower while their handsome princes would slay dragons and fight ogres to rescue them. They would read to each other, braid each others hair, and giggle at all the frightful old stiffs who made their parents acquaintance. When Lily had gotten her Hogwarts letter, Petunia had, for some reason, developed an unwarranted hatred for her from that day on. They rarely spoke, lest it be a matter of up most importance, and Petunia would make hurtful comments to her when their parents were not around.

In the position Lily was currently in, she wished more than anything that she could have her sister back. Petunia used to listen to her, stand up for her when her parents were being unfair, and help her in any way she could. If Petunia had been on her side, maybe things would have been different for Lily.

But then again, perhaps not.

Lily wanted many things in life. Many were things she knew she could never have, like a proper magical education, and she had resigned herself to that fate. She used to dream about escaping from her aristocratic family and starting again, as an ordinary person, free to make her own choices. Sometimes she would contemplate cutting all her hair off and jumping on a ship or a train. Living as a boy would be a small price to pay for her freedom, but she could never bring herself to do it. She longed to be able to help people less fortunate than herself, longed to be able to have a career like her father, maybe a Healer, a writer, a politician or(when she was feeling really daring) an Auror. She longed to be able to say exactly what she wanted, whenever she wanted. All of these were dreams she knew she could never realize, and she had learned to be content.

But when her mother announced that she would be choosing a suitor for her daughter, Lily's heart, the heart that had been broken at eleven and gradually pieced back together, had shattered, with no hope of repair.

She knew of the exact type of man that her mother wanted for her. He would be well educated, well dressed, well mannered, wealthy, traditional, non-confrontational and sensible, all of which were admirable qualities. With a husband like that, she would live a comfortable life, surrounded by every luxury she could ask for. She would have to do nothing but smile prettily, arrange dinner parties, and agree with his every word.

But she wouldn't have to love him.

By nature, Lily was passionate and romantic. The idea of falling in love was important to her, the one dream that hadn't yet been quashed. The man of her dreams would, like herself, put no importance on status or money. He would respect her and listen to her opinion. He would even argue with her. Lily knew that she needed someone she could argue with. He would do things on the spur of the moment. He wouldn't be constantly well groomed or polite.

Most importantly, the man she loved would surely be the man who allowed her to realize her other dreams. Otherwise, why would she love him?

As a child she would revel in the world of handsome princes and knights, brave, daring men who would go to any lengths to rescue their love. As she got older and yearned for freedom, she realized quite quickly that, being a woman, she couldn't change her situation. She hadn't the respect or the power. Only a man could change things for her, even though she wanted the ability to do it herself more than anything.

She needed to be rescued.

Telling herself that her prince didn't exist did nothing to help her. In her heart of hearts, she knew that there were men like that in the world, she would just never have one for herself.

Lily had faced many disappointments, even at her young age, but knowing she was to spend the rest of her life with a man she didn't love was tearing her apart.

***

`Allow me to introduce to you my youngest daughter, Lily.'

`It's a pleasure to meet you, and may I say how charming you look this evening, Miss Lily.'

`Why thank you Lord Chamberly, it's so lovely to finally make your acquaintance. I have heard many wonderful things about you from my brother-in-law.'

`Oh dear, what has my cousin been telling people?'

Lily laughed politely at his weak joke, just like her mother had told her. She was used to banter like this, and wondered dully whether she could ever get used to spending the rest of her life having uninteresting conversations that lacked in meaning or intellect.

Maybe, when she lived at Chamberly manor, she could bring Laura.

Laura Finnegan was Lily's maid and dresser. She had been working for the Evans family from the age of thirteen, when Lily was nine. Against all propriety, she and Lily had formed a close friendship, which was kept a secret, like so many other things, from her parents and sister. It was Laura to whom Lily told her troubles, it was Laura who would test Lily on her spellwork, it was Laura who went out in secret once a month and bought Lily's Potions ingredients, and it was Laura who knew every one of Lily's secrets. It was Lily, and Lily alone, who knew Laura's secret. She was a Squib, a non magical person from a wizarding family. It was because of her that Lily had so much knowledge on the wizarding world. Laura would sit in her tiny bedroom with Lily and tell her everything she wanted to know. She didn't live with her own family because she had wanted to support herself. The rest of her siblings had gone to Hogwarts and Laura had thought it best to cut herself off from that world to avoid the pain of jealousy. She still knew plenty about magic and wizarding communities, and was able to describe things like Quidditch to Lily in detail.

After being briefly introduced to Lords Davenport, Hastings, Spencer and their wives, and the very briefest of greetings with Petunia and Vernon, Lily found herself seated directly beside Lord Chamberly. He was, just as Lily had expected, pristine and presentable. He was tall and lean, with sandy brown hair, brown eyes, a rather large nose, and a serious disposition. There was nothing remarkable in his manner, conversation or otherwise, but he seemed nice and respectful, so Lily tried to count her blessings, and reminded herself that it could have been worse. He was a successful solicitor, and he had two houses, one in London, where Lily presumed they would be living after she married him, and one in Brighton, beside the seaside, which only served to cheer her up slightly.

Unbeknownst to her, that house in Brighton would bring about an even bigger change in her life than finding she was a witch.

`Your mother tells me that you can read French.'

`And German,' Lily began, but then bowed her head at the look upon her mothers face. It wouldn't do to come across as arrogant. `Of course, I'm not very good at either, Lord Chamberly.'

`Nonsense, my darling,' her mother cut in fondly. `She is quite marvelous at both.'

`I spent two years in France during my youth,' said Chamberly amiably. `It would please me to go back one day.'

`Surely not alone?” Petunia questioned.

`I am hoping that I may soon be bringing my wife there on honeymoon.'

Lily started to have some difficulty swallowing her lamb.

`How excellent!' her mother exclaimed. `You know, Lily has always wanted to go to France.'

`Have you?”

She eventually managed to choke down her lamb, and smiled.

`Yes, I would love to, one day.'

`Then perhaps one day you shall.'

The evening wore on, and to Lilys dismay, Lord Chamberly was clearly enamored by her. He dropped many compliments, stared at her a great deal, and asked her far too many questions about herself. Despite her best efforts to act happy and interested, she found herself quiet and staring at her plate, only half listening as conversation turned to Chamberlys practice in London, her father's business, the recent wedding of Lord Davenports daughter, Annabelle, to a prince she met at a ball in Monaco, then to the balls being held around Cheshire, and then..

`Lily is quite an accomplished dancer.'

`I noticed last month at the Swanson gala.'

`Correct me if I'm wrong, Lord Chamberly, but is it true that you yourself will be holding a ball in August?'

`July, to be precise, at my manor in Brighton. In fact, I was rather hoping that your family might join me there for a few weeks. Vernon and Miss Petunia are going to be there, along with little Dudley. Would her Ladyship, Lord Evans, and Miss Lily like to come?' he asked, directing the question more at Lily than anyone else.

“Why, what a marvelous idea! Charles?' her mother cried, gesturing to her husband to listen. `Wouldn't it be marvelous if we were to take a little holiday up to Lord Chamberlys house next month?'

`Indeed it would. I hope we would not be imposing on you?'

`Not at all, I enjoy the company, and I would love to become more familiar with your charming daughter.'

Lily desperately tried to suppress the reddening of her face, not with embarrassment, but with rage. Edward Chamberly was beginning to talk as if their marriage was an accepted fact, and her mother was quite obviously raising her eyebrows and stealing smug glances at her husband. It was ridiculous, Lily hadn't even accepted this man yet, and everyone sitting around the table was quite sure that this man was going to be her husband!

She had a sudden urge to stand up, pull her hair out of its bun, and announce that she would rather die than be this mans property.

But she would accept him, because that was the plan. She was to marry him, bear his children, and accept her position in life as a lady should.

No one is going to save you Lily.

***

Hundreds of miles away, in a majestic castle that stood proudly among mountains, casting a shadow over a glittering lake and a mysterious forest, brimming with a magical, unfathomable excitement, an eighteen year old boy sat on a window ledge in the northernmost tower, staring at the sky.

Lily Evans knew nothing of this boy, but she soon would.

He was going to save her.

And his name was James Potter.

-->

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling, so there *blows raspberry*

Author's note: I'm not normally a fast updater, but this story is so easy to write!

-The Marauders-

`Holy Merlin, is that a rabbit?'

The excited chatter that usually filled the Gryffindor common room on the last night of school was punctuated by screams, some of terror, and some of mirth, as an oversized rabbit meandered its way through the multitudes of students, tearing at trousers and satchels. Apart from its enormity, its appearance was made all the more frightening due to the razor sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, and its maniacal red eyes. Clearly, this was not the type of rabbit generally found in any part of the country.

In one warmly lit corner, three young men were sitting around a piece of parchment, lazily observing the various efforts of their classmates to control the rampaging rabbit.

If they were trying to come across as inconspicuous, they were being let down by Peter Pettigrew, who was currently squeaking with laughter. He was a short, red faced, plump boy (even though he had reached the age of maturity, Peter Pettigrew was wont to be referred to as a boy because of his childlike appearance) of seventeen, with small beady eyes and rodent like teeth. Peter was a fellow in possession of neither intelligence nor charisma, so why he was part of one of the schools most elite cliques remained a mystery to many people.

Beside Peter sat Remus Lupin, a thin, sandy haired, brown eyed man whose immediate air was one of trustworthiness and sensibility. He was studious, quite, polite and well read, liked by everyone who met him and held in a considerable amount of respect. For a man so unassuming and placid, he had copious physical strength, a fact made even more bizarre due to his frequent illnesses, which gave him a decidedly weak look. It was only his close friends who knew of his real illness, Lycanthrophy, or in more simple English, he was a werewolf. At the moment, Remus was pouring over the piece of parchment on the floor beside him, his brow furrowed and his wand tracing something only he could see.

The tallest, and probably most prominent of the three, who was currently directing the rabbit around the common room with his wand, was a pale, classically handsome youth, with long, elegant black hair, that fell haphazardly into his gray eyes but never seemed to hinder his sight. He was usually to be found with a cynical scowl on his face, his eyebrows lowered and his arms folded, disinterested in everything going on around him. If a more observant person than the average Hogwarts student had taken a closer look at Sirius Black, they would notice that his seemingly dispassionate eyes were busy taking in everything around him, and his scowl was more smug than cynical. His moody exterior hid a sharp, intelligent and witty man, with more daring than sense, and more heart than the bravest of Gryffindors.

`Have you found our missing counterpart?' he asked of Remus, who promptly looked up and nodded.

`I have, he's in our dormitory.'

Peter frowned.

`I didn't see him go up there.'

`He was probably wearing the cloak. Should we go up?' Remus replied.

Sirius shook his head.

`No, leave him there. He most likely wants to spend some time alone.'

`In that case, I think a trip to the kitchens would be most profitable, Padfoot?'

`Moony, I think that a trip to the kitchens is exactly what I need, and we can get some food for Prongs. Are you coming, Wormtail?'

`Would I ever pass up a trip to the kitchens?' Peter replied jovially, scrambling up from the floor to stand beside his friends. Before they left the common room, Remus pointed his wand at the parchment.

`Mischief managed.'

These young men made up three quarters of a group commonly known as the Marauders. They were ardent pranksters, universally admired, universally respected, and had knowledge of every secret passageway, password and hiding place in Hogwarts. Being vastly intelligent (apart from Peter), resourceful and quick witted, they alone had managed to achieve feats that most fully grown wizards couldn't, such as a map of the school they had created that showed, not only all of the secret passageways, but the whereabouts of every person, be it a student or teacher, in the building. They had also become Animagi in their fifth year, something unheard of for underage wizards, but they had managed it with alarming ease. This, along with their map, was kept a secret from the student body, and even the teachers didn't know about either. Many a person had tries to guess what their nicknames signified, but no one had.

Remus, being a werewolf, was Moony. Peter was called Wormtail because his Animagus form was that of a rat. Sirius, being faithful and impulsive, was a large, black dog, thus, he was nicknamed Padfoot.

And what of their fourth counterpart?

He was currently sitting on the window ledge beside his bed, staring out at the star dotted sky.

Prongs was his nickname, the stag, the proud and undeniable leader. A popular, bright and charming young man, the oldest of the four, a talented Quidditch player, and Head Boy to boot, James Potter was seen to live a charmed life. His ancestry consisted of the purest of purebloods, rich and revered within the wizarding community. His father, Thomas Potter, was head of the Auror department, and his mother, Juliana, was Chief Healer of the Creature-Induced Injuries department in St. Mungos hospital. James himself was the top student in seventh year, never achieving less than an `Outstanding' in each subject, with an exceptional aptitude for Transfiguration. He was very handsome, albeit not as glaringly handsome as Sirius Black, his best friend, but he held his own in the affections of Hogwarts many young ladies. He was tall and lean, with shrewd hazel eyes, framed by wire rimmed glasses, a long nose, and black hair that refused to lie flat, instead choosing to stand out in all manner of directions. Large hands and feet had James, long limbs, and a mouth that hinted at a perverse sense of humor, but only when he smiled.

At this precise moment in time, James Potter was allowing his mind to wander over the events of the past week. Exams had ended the day beforehand, James was positive that he had done very well, and tomorrow, he would be leaving Hogwarts, the school in which he had spent seven years of his life, forever. He had his future actions planned to a tee. He would begin his Auror training at the end of the summer, qualify three years later, and settle down in London, where, he supposed, he would go about the process of finding a wife.

To an outsider, his life would be considered enviable.

In truth, James Potter was rather unhappy.

He couldn't place the source of his unhappiness, which he found rather odd. Certainly, his life was going exactly the way he wanted it to, he had warm friends, a good career ahead of him, a nice home, a loving family, he was healthy, and he was financially secure. He had no significant problems or worries, no enemies, and he was about to spend the summer staying with his friends in Brighton, which was sure to be enjoyable. He knew that he should be perfectly contented, but he wasn't. There was a strange, heavy feeling that he couldn't shake off, and it seemed to be growing with each passing day.

He looked down at his hand, where he held a letter that he had received from the family owl earlier. He and his friends were departing to the Lupin manor in Brighton the very next day, and at the beginning of August, the Lupins would hold their annual banquet for all of the wizarding families in Britain. His parents would, as usual, be attending, which meant that they would be staying at the manor for a week. Aside from when the banquet was held, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter usually had the manor to themselves, as both of Remus' parents were wont to travel around. He couldn't help scowling in distaste upon sighting one particular part of the letter.

The Patils will be back from Edinburgh, I have been told, and will be bringing their daughter, Elvira, with them. Is it true that she is Head Girl this year? Her father is widely known in social circles as commanding a rather vast fortune, and I have heard that Elvira has taken quite a fancy to my only son. In any case, she has come out now, and is surely looking for a suitor...

James scrunched the letter up and tossed it over to his bed. He loved his mother dearly, but she had an obsession with finding James a wife.

A rich, pureblood wife.

Unlike a lot of the wizarding community, James and his family were very supportive of muggle-borns, his father especially. James mother socialized with many muggle-borns, and agreed that they were just as competent as pure bloods. What James and his father found strange, therefore, was that the idea of her son marrying a muggle-born filled her with dread. Personally, James thought his mother shallow. It was blindingly obvious that she wanted to keep her high social standing, and if her son married a muggle-born, surely some richer, more traditional families, such as the Malfoys, would hold her in less esteem.

He sighed. Either way, the matter was not important to him now. He wasn't even thinking about marriage yet, certainly not marriage with Elvira Patil, a simpering, docile creature with an irritating giggle and a false, arrogant manner. He thanked his lucky stars that the old custom of wizarding parents choosing their child's spouse was long dead. He would decide who he would marry, when he was good and ready, and it would be because he loved her, and not because it was socially acceptable.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his friends, who barged into the dormitory talking nineteen to dozen, carrying food and drink. Upon seeing him, Sirius jumped agilely onto the windowsill beside him and threw a chocolate frog in his direction.

`What were you doing up here for the past hour on your own?'

James tore off the wrapper with his teeth, bit the head off the frog, and proceeded to talk with his mouth full.

`Thinking.'

About what?'

He swallowed the head with some difficulty.

`About when we leave here tomorrow.'

`Oh yes, on that subject, I got a letter from mother today. Apparently, we have three balls to go to this summer.' Remus interjected merrily.

`Muggle or wizarding?' Sirius questioned with a mischievous glint in his eyes. The Lupins were a half blood family. David Lupin was a wizard, and Margaret Lupin was a muggle, therefore, both wizarding and muggle social events were generally attended, and although the Marauders were sworn not to use magic around the unsuspecting muggles, Sirius, who hated balls, would usually pull some kind of prank to make the evening a bit more enjoyable, and always managed to palm it off on James.

`Well, let me see,' Remus began, pulling the aforementioned letter out of his bedside drawer and examining it. `There's the Longbottom ball.'

`Ah, Frank Longbottom, I haven't seen him since last year. Is he still engaged to Alice Smith?' Peter enquired.

`Your interest in gossip alarms me Wormtail.' Sirius scoffed, but didn't go any further when Remus cleared his throat.

`Then there are our new neighbors, the Davis family, and they are wizards, and,' Remus paused, trying to hold back a laugh.

Sirius grinned.

`Chamberly.'

`Bravo Padfoot, your mind reading powers are astounding, considering that Chamberly has a ball every summer.' said James, sneakily taking one of Sirius' Cauldron Cakes from under his nose.

`Mother says that Chamberly will be announcing his engagement to a girl from Cheshire.' Remus remarked offhandedly.

`Prongs, you owe me five Galleons.'

`And why is that, Padfoot?'

`As I recall, you bet me five galleons that no girl would ever agree to marry that, and I quote, prattling git.'

`If your mother heard you use that language, she'd wash your mouth out with soap.'

`I find it amusing,' James began laughingly, `That my mother nearly has a cardiac arrest when I use the word `git', and yet `mudblood' is perfectly acceptable.'

`But, isn't Chamberly a muggle?' Peter asked through bites of bacon.

`It's the principle of the thing Wormtail.'

A long silence fell upon the four, a silence filled with nothing but the sound of rustling wrappers and Peters rather noisy chewing, and was broken when James suddenly questioned the group in general.

`Would you marry a muggle?'

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

`Thinking of that already, Prongs? Do your primal urges need satiating?

Remus and Peter laughed, and James gave Sirius a good natured punch.

`No. Well, I tell a lie-'

Sirius smirked at his friends reddening face.

`I wouldn't marry anyone, muggle or not,' he shuddered. `It's like having a ball and chain for the rest of your life.'

`So, you'd rather be promiscuous then.' James countered.

`I'd rather not have to bother with women at all.'

`What say you, Moony?'

`I'm not getting married either, for different reasons, of course.' Remus replied, looking glum.

`Yes, but if you were to marry, would you marry a muggle?'

Remus shrugged half-heartedly.

`I suppose I would. Why does the subject hold your interest.'

`Truthfully, I don't know.' James answered with a shrug.

Sirius shook his head.

`You're an odd man, Prongs.'

`I am sincerely worried for the girl who does end up married to James.' Peter joked.

`If she's not unhinged before she marries him, she will be after.' Sirius finished.

`It's nice to know my friends think so highly of me.'

Sirius dug his elbow into James stomach.

`Not to worry, my friend, we'll find you a nice, demented, muggle girl to marry you at Chamberlys ball!'

`I don't want-' James began, but he was interrupted by Remus.

`On the subject of Chamberly, Sirius, no pranks this year. Last year you almost caused Lady Spencer to lose her eye.

`It was the daft woman's own fault.' Sirius argued

`I'm not contemplating as to whose fault it was, I just don't want any trouble, and neither does mother.'

`Must you always spoil our fun?' Sirius questioned light heartedly.

`Yes, I must.'

`Can't we just skip the ball altogether?' Peter whined.

`Alas Peter, we can't,' Sirius replied. `We have to find Chamberlys poor fiancée and warn her before its too late.'

They all laughed, continued their banter, and the conversation gradually turned to their thoughts on leaving the school. They were all going to miss Hogwarts. It had been their home for seven years, the place where they had grown up, and learned about their world and discovered themselves. It had been the basis for their entire friendship, and to these four young men, friendship was the most important thing in the world. Tomorrow, they would be leaving it forever, to go out into the world and make the best of themselves, not only as wizards, but as men.

James took a long look around the walls of his familiar dormitory. Perhaps his leaving was the cause of his unhappiness.

But he doubted it.

He lay awake for hours that night.

And in a manor in Cheshire, Lily Evans tied her hair back up and cried herself to sleep.

Review! Please, oh please! You've already been so kind, and I got more reviews than I could have hoped for, but I still love them!

-->

Author's note: New chapter! I love this one, purely because you get a first glimpse at the real Lily, being herself without the presence of her parents. You also learn a bit more about her family and Laura. In any case, I loved writing it, so please, read and review!!

I'm not J.K. Rowling, and unless Polyjuice potion is invented somewhat sharpish, I never will be.

-Ice cream-

It was often said of the Evans family that their youngest daughter must have been destined for another family, but got mislaid on the way there, the reason being that her physicality resembled neither her father nor her mother, nor any member of her extended family.

Her mother, Catherine Evans, daughter of the Lord and Lady Edgar Spencer, was a short, blonde, blue eyed woman who was considerably stouter now than when she had first married her husband. Despite her weight, she still managed to move with grace and dignity, keeping it a secret that she had practiced walking like a lady since she was a little girl, and still did. In fact, it still caused her considerable discontent that her two daughters seemed to have acquired that graceful manner without having to try. She was a social butterfly, always in attendance at the most fashionable parties, balls and banquets, and the social events that she hosted were always known to be some of the best in England. She knew everybody, knew of everybody's business, and loved nothing more than to brag about her own family's successes. Lily, in her opinion, was to be her latest and greatest.

Charles Evans, unlike his wife, was a tall man; also blue eyed, with sandy brown hair, a stern mouth and an amiable disposition. He was an unusually quiet gentleman, devoting himself to the hospital he owned in London, having once been a doctor, but gave it up in favor of business. He didn't care for social events, but attended them good naturedly, as he was sensible enough to know that he could get what he wanted by staying present in the every growing Evans social circle. He may have held a different opinion to his wife on Lily's romantic future, but if he did, he kept it quiet, but it was he openly worshipped his `red headed flower', as he liked to call her, and spoiled her shamelessly. He had been devastated upon discovering that she was a witch, but Lily had never been able to thank him enough for being the one who decided that she should be allowed a wand and spellbooks. In Lily's opinion, he had thrown her a lifeline.

The three arrived in Brighton, the quaint, picturesque seaside town in East Sussex, on the 10^th July, which, coincidentally, was three days after the youngest Evans daughter turned eighteen.

Lily's coming out feast had been hastily arranged by her mother who was more worried about their trip to the Chamberly home than her daughters first foray into womanhood. Lily allowed herself to laugh silently at this, the only reason her mother had accepted this invitation was, in fact, because of Lily's coming out.

Most girls near Lily's age looked forward to the day when they could do their hair up and lengthen their skirts, and most unusually, Lily detested the idea. As her mother had explained, when a young lady does her hair up, it is a sign that she is ready to marry, and subsequently, turn over her virginity. Lily did not feel near ready to do either, especially not with Lord Chamberly, whom she found to be not only unattractive, but horrendously boring, hopelessly predictable, and far too old at twenty eight. She knew, from accidentally overhearing her mothers' rather loud boasting, that Chamberly thought her `captivating' and `magnetic', and silently screamed with indignation.

Her thoughts dissolved into nothingness as she stepped across the threshold of Chamberly manor and was led into the parlor by a harassed looking maid.

The house was, as she expected, uninspired and predictable in décor, moderately comfortable, and smelling mildly of cigar smoke, a smell Lily detested more than any other. She briefly imagined kissing a man who had just smoked a cigar every day, and she felt like retching all over the plush, chocolate carpet, so instead, she tried to picture herself as mistress of this house. This house, befitted with mounted pheasants and partridges, stuffed trout, and paintings of horses and formidable men. This house, completely devoid of colour, laughter or character, did not welcome her, and she had no desire to be welcomed. The house she had dreamed of had been a cottage beside the sea, full of flowers, music and friends, a house where she could do as she pleased, even dance around in the rain with her hair down, and no one would chastise her. That house, she reminded herself, existed only in her dreams, and dreams had no place in life when you were an Evans.

`Charles, Charles, it's always pleasure.'

`Looking well, Edward my friend, and you have met my wife and daughter.'

`But of course. Lady Evans, how lovely to see you again. I trust you found your journey comfortable?'

`Yes indeed, quite comfortable. I must say, Brighton is very charming.'

`I am compelled to agree, I have always loved it so. One could say that it is almost as charming as this handsome young lady, Miss Lily, I am delighted to see you.' He bowed deeply and took her hand, placing a delicate kiss on it.

How she wished she could march up to Edward Chamberly and slap him right in his silly, simpering face, or better still, pull out the wand she had hidden in her silk stockings and hex his head into oblivion.

`Thank you ever so much for inviting me, Lord Chamberly. I am quite excited about the prospect of exploring this beautiful place.'

`Well, explore away, my dear. I must offer my sincerest apologies however. You see, I received a call today from Mr. Davis Shrewsbury, in Hertfordshire. I believe you've made his acquaintance before, Charles?'

Lilys' father nodded.

`He is having some problems with the Davenport Hospital case, and to my dismay, I must travel up to Hertfordshire tomorrow to assist him. I must also spend the rest of today going over the particulars of the case with my partner. Therefore, I will not be available until Friday.' here he shot Catherine an apologetic glance and hurriedly continued. `I do hope you will forgive my rudeness, and you have my word that from Friday I will be free for the rest of your stay. In the meantime, I do hope you will make yourselves comfortable. My cousin and his wife are already here, and my staff will cater to your needs, although I've noted that you have brought some of your own.'

Lily smiled. In a fit of blind panic before they left, her mother had decided to bring two dressers for Lily, lest she try to dress herself and manage to make a mess of it. She seemed to be terrified of Lily making some mistake which would lead to the discontinuing of Edward Chamberlys affection towards her. Therefore, Laura Finnegan had been disposed to join them, something which Lily was delighted about.

`That is indeed a bother to you, Lord Chamberly. When is this ball you are to be holding?'

`On Saturday evening, my lady, although,' he swiftly added, as her eyebrows shot up into her hair and her eyes widened in evident alarm. `There will be a house party in three weeks, during which time I will hold another ball.'

Lady Catherine smiled.

`That is perfect.'

She caught sight of Lily's curious expression, and looked hastily at her husband, who cleared his throat as if discontented with something and spoke.

`That will be fine, Edward.'

`Indeed, not to worry, Lord Chamberly. We shall make ourselves at home, and I am eager to see my grandson.'

`Ah, he is indeed a darling, and may I say madam, looks very much like you.'

Lily snorted with laughter, which she hastily turned into a sneeze. Dudley Dursley indeed resembled her mother, as they were both short, blonde, rotund and bad tempered. It caused Lily some satisfaction to know that her nephew suffered from colic, which resulted in his almost daily wailing fits.

Almost as if on cue, the sound of his crying filled the house.

`There's the little rascal now!' Chamberly exclaimed, his eye twitching with evident annoyance, which he tried to conceal with a smile.

`Oh, I must see my darling grandson, where would I be able to locate him?'

`Just follow the sound of his wailing!' her father remarked, to which Lady Catherine scowled.

`Pray, Lord Chamberly, where is my grandson located?'

`In the East wing.'

`Well, I shall leave my daughter to the care of you two gentlemen.'

After she had left, Lord Evans wandered around the room examining paintings and ornaments, and Chamberly began to talk to Lily, who answered him admirably, not a hint of her dislike showing in her voice. It was a hard feat to be sure, Chamber had a seedy, lecherous look in his eye, which made his intentions very clear, and combined with the cigar smell, turned her stomach.

`I do hope that you are not angry with me, Miss Lily, for I would have loved to stay.'

She smiled sweetly, an evil little idea popping into her head.

`That is quite alright, Lord Chamberly, although I must say,' here she lowered her head and peeped up at him with a saddened expression. `I was very much hoping that you would accompany me to the seaside. You see, I have never been before, and my girlish heart longs for it.'

`I am ever so sorry, Miss Lily, but perhaps, when I return-'

She sighed resignedly.

`Well, if I must wait, I must.'

She smiled again with a look of obvious discontent, and fluttered her eyelashes. It worked like a charm on Chamberly, who changed tack at once.

`I see no reason why you should wait for me to begin your explorations. Surely there is someone who could accompany you to the seaside. Your lady-in-waiting, perhaps?'

She beamed.

`Why, Lord Chamberly, you are most clever. What a capital idea! May I, father?'

Her father turned slowly from a painting he was currently looking at, and smiled indulgently at his favorite daughter.

`When would you like to go?'

`As soon as you will spare me!' she cried excitedly.

`If Miss Lily would like to go now, it would be most suitable. I was hoping to discuss the hospital matter with you this afternoon. Lord Wallis feels like you could shed some light on the solution, considering the success you have had with your own hospital.'

`It is agreed then. Lily, run along. Laura will accompany you to the seaside and I shall stay here with Edward.'

Lily jumped up and down in delight.

`Oh thank you father, and Lord Chamberly. What good, kind men you both are!'

She turned to leave, but her fathers' voice stopped her.

`Lily?'

`Yes?”

`May I remind you not to tell your mother of your doings?'

`Of course father.'

As soon as she left the room, she broke into a run, grinning madly.

`What a charming, beautiful girl,' said Chamberly, smiling with evident satisfaction.

Lord Evans merely nodded.

***

`Today, Laura, I am not Miss Lily Evans!' Lily cried, twirling around wildly on the golden sand and wriggling her toes in delight.

Laura Finnegan was an Irish girl of twenty two. Although she had been born in Ireland, her accent was of Manchester, as her parents had emigrated there when she was a baby to allow her oldest brother Patrick to attend Hogwarts. Since she was thirteen, however, she had only seen her family on a handful of occasions, preferring to stay away from wizards and earn her own living, as well as staying with Miss Lily, whom she loved dearly. She was a pretty, curvaceous girl with chestnut brown hair and eyes, which were wont to twinkle mischievously.

`Who are you today, miss?' she replied, settling herself on the sand and opening the picnic basket.

`I am merely Lily, a witch who is on a vacation with her dearest friend, where there are no parents to antagonize her or ugly middle-aged men to court her. I intend to fully enjoy and forget myself today. Let me do that.' she added, reaching out for the blanket, which she spread out onto the sand. She then began to take the many goodies out of the basket and lay them out whilst Laura organized the plates and cups.

When Laura and Lily were alone, they were not servant and mistress, but merely two girls of equal status. It was delightful in Laura's opinion, when she had first gone to serve the Evans family, she had been warned to expect snobbery and ill treatment, and instead got put in charge of Lily, who befriended her, and slipped extra money into her wages whenever she could manage it.

`If I could be so bold, can I say that Lord Chamberly is quite the handsome devil?' she remarked sarcastically, which sent Lily into shrieks of hysterical laughter.

`Indeed he is, if you find warthogs attractive.'

Laura squealed, and took a bite of lemon pie.

`I must admit, I am partial to warthogs. Oh look, an ice cream stand!'

Lily turned around to see that, indeed, there was an ice cream stand some fifty feet behind them.

`I have never eaten ice cream, is it nice?'

`Never? You have never eaten an ice cream?' Laura shook her head. `Oh miss, you haven't lived. I will buy you one, and you will find it a treat, to be sure.'

With that, Laura jumped up, always full of boundless energy, and scampered off, leaving Lily to sit on the blanket, munching on bread and sighing contentedly to herself.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, with only the smallest hint of light breeze which prevented the holidaymakers from becoming uncomfortably hot, and it was the kind of weather Lily preferred, being so pale, humidity bothered her. She glanced around at the other occupants of the beach. There were happy couples holding hands and picnicking, children making sandcastles, elderly people walking along the promenade, and far away from her, a group of boys throwing a large, red ball to one another at the shoreline.

Lily found herself concentrating on a little girl who was near her. The girl had red hair, like Lilys, but unlike Lilys, which was currently sitting in an uncomfortable bun; it was in two long plaits. She was evidently not of the same background as Lily, either, judging by her accent, mannerisms and dress, and she was giggling with delight as her father poured a bucket of water over her feet, which were sitting in a freshly dug hole. The little boy beside her shouted for his father to do the same, and frantically began to dig a hole for himself.

The girl caught sight of Lily and waved, and her heart swelled with envy.

`I've got the ice creams, miss,' said Laura, plopping down beside her again. `Now, try that, and if you tell me you don't like it, I shall know you're lying.'

Lily tried it, and indeed, it was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. It was cold and creamy, and tasted of vanilla. She squealed when the first divine trickle slid down her throat, and exclaimed.

`It's heavenly!'

`I knew you would like it, miss!'

`Mmm.' was all that Lily could say in agreement, as she was currently attacking her ice cream in a very unladylike fashion.

`Oh papa, papa, look!' the little girl screamed, pointing at Lily and her ice cream. `Ice cream, can we have some?'

`Yes, can we have some ice cream, papa?' her brother agreed, jumping up and down feverishly, a lump of wet sand that had previously been on his feet flying off to hit his fathers leg.

The man with them mumbled embarrassedly about not having enough money, and on an impulse, Lily sprang up and held out her hand.

`If you would let me, sir, I was just going to buy myself another, and I would love to get one for each of your children.'

The man looked confusedly at her.

`I couldn't ask that of-'

But his children had already made their way over to Lily, and the little girl grabbed hold of her outstretched hand eagerly.

`Oh please papa!'

Lily smiled earnestly at him.

`I would love to, they are such nice children.'

After a bit more pleading, their father consented, so Lily and the two children set off on the short journey to the ice cream stand, leaving Laura to finish her ice cream.

The girl tugged at her hand.

`What is your name?'

`Lily.'

`That's pretty. We have lilies in our garden.'

`Do you?'

`Oh yes, and roses and apple blossoms and petunias and-'

`My sister is named Petunia.'

`Is she?' the girl asked, her freckled nose scrunched as she surveyed the ice cream stand greedily.

`She is.'

`I don't like Petunias,' the little girls remarked. `They are very dull. Lilies are nice, because there are so many different ones. I like the white ones best.'

`Calla lilies?'

She nodded.

`What is your name?' Lily asked, liking this girl more and more with each passing second.

`Emma,' she replied. `And this is Paul.'

The little boy walking alongside them waved quickly to acknowledge himself, and then blushed.

`They are very nice names. Do you live here in Brighton?'

`Yes, we do. Papa says that we are the luckiest family in the world because we live beside the seaside.'

Lily nodded, privately agreeing.

`Do you live here?' the inquisitive Emma asked.

Lily shook her head.

`No, but I soon will, I think.'

`Oh, please do live here. You are so nice, I would love to talk to you everyday, and we could make sandcastles. Can you make sandcastles?'

`Why, no I can't.'

`Oh, I must teach you to make a sandcastle. Say you'll live here, oh do, please do!'

Lily found she couldn't answer. She didn't know how to tell this vibrant child that even if she did live here, she would probably not have the chance to see her again. She somehow couldn't imagine Lord Chamberly permitting her to build sandcastles with underprivileged (underprivileged being how her mother would describe them) little girls, so instead she chose to point out the ice cream stand.

`Shall I get the biggest ice creams possible?'

`Yes, yes!' the two children shouted simultaneously.

Emma let go of her hand and ran to the ice cream stand, so excited that she almost knocked over one of the boys from the shorefront, and didn't even notice. Shooting an apologetic smile at the boy, Lily, giggling madly, and Paul, who was still blushing, followed her at a run. They found her pointing at the inviting looking picture on the ice cream stand and demanding that the owner make her one bigger. The owner, a plump, jolly looking old man with a nose so sunburned that all the skin had peeled off, shot Lily a questioning glance as she reached them. She panted, holding on to her side, and tried to recover her breath.

`Three of your biggest, oh, pardon me,' she finished, as the boy who had almost been knocked over had reached the stand at the same time, and had simultaneously opened his mouth to order.

`We want three really big ice creams!' Emma cried.

The boy raised his eyebrows.

`She seems to be a bit over-excitable,' Lily told him by way of an explanation.

He laughed pleasantly, and nodded towards Emma.

`Not unlike her sister? You seem a tad out of breath.'

`Oh, this girl is not my sister.'

How Lily wished she was.

The boy nodded politely, and started rummaging in his pockets for money. They lapsed into silence for a few moments, all watching Emma dance in glee as the ice cream man made her a cone.

`Are you sad?' Paul asked Lily, pulling at her skirt.

`Sorry?'

`You look sad,' he continued, evidently embarrassed.

`Oh.' she replied lamely. `Oh, well, no. I'm having a lovely time.'

`I'm sorry if I made you upset with me, I didn't mean to,' he continued, clearly, he thought he had offended her.

`No, no, of course you didn't.'

He still looked apprehensive.

`Are you still going to get me a big ice cream?'

`Yes!' she managed to giggle out, and noticed that the boy was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

`Remus, what can I do for you?” the ice cream man asked the boy. `The usual I presume?'

`Of course, and I'll pay for these three.'

He paid the man for Lilys' ice creams and grinned at her, whilst taking four delicious looking cones from the man's outstretched hands.

`That is a `welcome to Brighton' present,' said the boy now addressable as Remus.

`What lead you to assume that I am new? I may not need welcoming.'

He nodded wisely.

`I have a way of telling. Nice meeting you. Goodbye Horace.' he finished as, giving her a short bow first, he turned away.

`Tell Potter that I'll be wanting a word with him!' the ice cream man, or Horace, apparently, shouted genially after him. `He still owes me for that broken window!'

He smiled at Lily.

`He's a good fellow, that one. What'll your name be?'

***

`Hark who returns!' Sirius shouted merrily and dropping the Quaffle he was holding.

James turned to greet Remus, who was walking quite carefully across the sand for fear he would drop the four precariously held ice creams.

`We had almost given you up for lost.'

`Sorry, I got attacked by a little girl.'

`Peter attacked you?” Sirius questioned, taking his ice cream (and James noted that Sirius made sure to grab the biggest one) from Remus' outstretched hand, which was gradually becoming more and more sticky from the melting treat.

`Oh, very funny, I must say,' remarked Peter grumpily. `Must I forever be known as a girl just because of one silly incident in third year?”

`Ah, the good old days.' said James.

`If you hadn't cried so very loudly, Wormtail-'

`I know, I know.' Peter answered hastily. `Can I please have my ice cream now?”

`Did my eyes deceive me, Remus my friend,' James began chidingly through his ice cream stuffed mouth. `I believe I saw you conversing with a young lady.'

`Really?' Sirius carried on, having evidently rehearsed this.

`Yes, really.' James finished with a raised eyebrow.

`Who is she?' Peter questioned.

`I don't know. Most likely an aristocrat, she was dressed for it, although she was with two rather ragged looking children.' he shrugged nonchalantly. `She seemed pleasant enough.'

`Is she pretty, Remus my friend?' Sirius carried on. `We couldn't make her out properly from here.'

`Is our favorite werewolf thinking of satiating his own primal urges, hmm?' said James.

`Hush!' Remus hissed. `People might hear you.'

`Sorry mate, I forgot. Remember the rule, Padfoot? When we are in a public area, with non magical folk, or as they are more commonly known, muggles, abound, there is no magical activity, or discussion of, permitted.'

Would I do such a thing?'

`Of course not. Would I?'

`Never Prongs, never.'

James grinned, and then shouted at the top of his lungs.

`Has anybody seen a Snitch?'

`James!' Remus cried.

`We were trying to play Quidditch, you see.' James continued, still shouting.

`James Potter! Remus tried again.

`But, it's rather difficult without broomsticks, so we-`

Remus was now hissing for James to be quiet and flapping his hands rather absurdly.

`Moony, old chum, you really shouldn't draw attention to yourself like that.' Sirius remarked offhandedly, while James ceased his racket.

`Really Moony, someone might have gotten suspicious.'

He sat down on the sand.

`So, the girl, was she pretty?'

Sirius smirked.

`James must really be eager to find a muggle to marry. Is that it Prongs, hoping for Moony to turn matchmaker?'

`Padfoot, we are supposed to be teasing Remus, you can't switch sides.'

`I think you will find that I just did.'

James made a face, and threw a handful of sand at Sirius.

`You menace, you've befouled my ice cream!' Sirius exclaimed.

`You deserved it.'

***

`I reckon miss, that it's time we were leaving.'

Lily groaned, torn between getting up and burying herself in the sand and refusing to move. The latter sounded more inviting, but she didn't fancy her mothers reaction when Laura told her that her daughter had decided to spend the night out on the beach. Sighing, she stood up slowly, dusted herself off, and began packing away the soiled plates.

Her afternoon had passed most enjoyably. She and Laura had spent the day building sandcastles with Emma, Paul and their father, and they had eventually decided to have a competition. Lily, Laura and Emma soon beat out Paul and his father by building a magnificent castle, complete with a realistic looking moat, realistic because Emma had insisted upon running back and forward to the shore with two buckets to refill it. Eventually taking pity on the child, Lily had muttered a charm when their backs were turned, ensuring that the most stayed full. She had gotten a scolding from Laura, but she didn't care. She was having too much fun to feel guilty. Emma and her family, however, had left about a half hour ago, as had the ice cream man and the boys from the shore, although Lily hadn't seen them leave.

`We had a nice day, didn't we miss?'

She nodded.

`It's not a long walk back to the manor, and we can get some lemonade on the way back.'

Laura gathered the rest of the leftovers into the basket and stood up.

`Are you coming miss?'

Lily shrugged her shoulders and gestured to Laura to walk.

`I am, I will just be a moment. I want to enjoy this view, alone, for a minute,' she sighed. `I almost feel as if I will never see it again.

Laura walked on, leaving Lily to her thoughts.

Today had been more perfect than Lily could have hoped for. Everything, from the weather to the people, seemed to jump right out of a dream and in front of her rapt eyes. The cheerful informality of Emma and Paul, their wise father and his funny stories, the merry chat she had had with Horace the ice cream man, who had promised her a free ice cream the next time she came just because she was `pretty as a picture', and even her and Laura's sarcastic comments about some of the people on the beach, was so different to what she was used to, but it seemed so... natural. She belonged here, with these people, in this town, and not in some stiff, upper class hellhole with a smarmy, sniveling...

She was jolted back into reality by a sharp pain in her forehead. Something had flown out of nowhere and hit her right between the eyes. She saw a flurry of something fluttering before she instinctively reached up to hold her palm to her forehead, and jumped as her fingers came into contact with something strange and solid. At first, she thought it was a bump, a theory that was discarded as soon as she closed her hand around it.

She brought her hand to eye level, opened her fingers, and let out a scream of surprise.

It was a Snitch.

-->

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!

-->

Author's note: I'm really, really sorry that I took so long to update. This chapter, for some reason or other, was a bitch to write. I'm still not at all happy with it now. Not much happens, but believe me, it's very important, plot wise. There is James/Lily dialogue, however! That has to be good, right?

This chapter is officially dedicated to Dr. Fawkes, that admirable and tremendously talented young authoress who asks me to update this story practically ever time we converse on livejournal. I hope you enjoy it, my dear. Another few people I should mention: vea, my very best friend, just for being wonderful, missmexx, for being so dedicated, and Callisto Nicol, who leaves the best sodding reviews ever!

Disclaimer: Does anyone even read these disclaimers? I never do. Hmm... I could spill my darkest secret here and no one would notice. In fact, I think I will. Here it goes: I'm not J.K. Rowling.

-The cretin from behind the curtain-

Much later in the evening, and many, many times after that moment, James Potter would curse his friends for not calling him back and telling him that the girl he had just asked for a dance was in fact Miss Lily Evans, but at this particular moment in time he was blissfully unaware of the mischief he was causing. His friends weren't, that was for sure. If he had ventured to glace behind him, he would have seen Sirius' face and known immediately that something was woefully amiss, but he never did.

0-0-0-0

“Guess.”

The raven-haired cretin raised a bushy eyebrow ever so slightly.

“If the lady wishes, although I must warn you that I'm terribly bad at this kind of thing.”

“I have a lot of patience.”

He studied her critically for a moment. “Really, it would not be wise to ask me to guess. I couldn't possibly. What kind of name could possibly be affixed to your person?”

“Was that a compliment?”

“It is if you choose to take it as one.”

This was the opportune moment to give a flirtatious answer, but something told her that the best way to get this man to fall for her would be to remain somewhat aloof at first. It wouldn't do to appear too eager.

“So are you going to guess my name?”

“If I must,” he frowned slightly. Probably wondering how best to handle the situation. Lily wasn't expecting him to slip up at this early stage, but that did not mean that she wouldn't be watching him like a hawk for any mistakes. “Elizabeth?”

She shook her head. The piece of music that had been playing came to an end and the small orchestra in the corner struck up a different, slower tune, but Lily barely noticed.

“Lydia?”

She shook her head again. “No, but you're very close.”

“Close?”

She merely nodded.

“So your name begins with an `L', I presume?” he said slowly.

She nodded shortly. How coincidental it was that he had whittled it down so quickly, she thought. Of course he already knew her name; she was more than one step ahead of him and she knew his game, but if she was to be victorious, she must play the unsuspecting innocent. Which was precisely why she dipped her head in what she hoped appeared to be a shy gesture, in order to hide her triumphant smirk.

Mistake number one, Mr. Potter.

“Lenora?”

“Lenora? Heavens no!” she cried, her eyes shooting upwards. Of all the names he could have picked…

“Leslie?”

She shook her head, feeling a stab of impatience. If he was going to continue this charade all night she would surely get irritated.

“Do you give up, Mr. Potter?”

His name was James Potter, he had told her so minutes earlier. It seemed to suit him, although she couldn't quite place why. James was a name that she had always admired, and she most definitely detested this boy with all she had in her. It was a good thing that she had overheard the conversation, because he certainly was very charismatic. He had a silver tongue, as her mother would say. In fact, he sounded almost sincere.

“I don't like giving up, my lady.”

Neither do I.

“If you admit defeat, I shall tell you my name and then we could move onto more…interesting topics of conversation.”

“I thought you said you had a lot of patience?”

“I do, but you look like the type of man who doesn't.”

“That is a rather bold statement.”

“I am a rather bold person, Mr. Potter.”

She had surprised him, she knew it. He nodded, amusement showing in his face.

“Very well, what is your name?”

“My name is Lily Evans, Mr. Potter.”

There was an odd moment in which his brow furrowed in what she could only assume to be surprise, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.

“Lily?”

“Yes, Lily.”

“I presume that your parents are Lord Charles and Lady Catherine Evans, from Cheshire?” he said, a little too quickly. Mistake number two.

“Yes they are. Have you spoken?”

“I had a brief conversation with your father earlier. I did not know that you were his daughter, however. You don't really resemble him.”

Well, she mused, moving slightly so that they were closer together, he certainly was a fine actor. Credit where credit was due. He was doing a great job at feigning ignorance. She almost would have believed him.

“Oh, no, I take after my grandmother Pemberly. The red hair is from my mother's side of the family.”

“But isn't your mother blonde?”

“Yes, she is, and thus, I take after my grandmother.”

Her cunning companion opened his mouth to reply, but words seemed to fail him. Instead, he stared somewhat absently at her nose for a while, looking slightly lost in thought.

“Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Potter?”

He immediately snapped out of whatever trance he had been in, opened and shut his mouth, and shook his head.

“Miss Evans, I think that,” he bit his lip and spoke in a sudden rush. “I'm sorry if I sound too brazen, Miss Evans, and please, please do not take this the wrong way, but you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the pleasure to come across. I fell I must tell you that.”

She was immediately horrified to feel herself blushing. She wasn't used to compliments such as this and she certainly hadn't expected him to move to this stage of the conversation so quickly. He probably thought she was flattered, which could work in her favour, all things considered.

“Beauty is worthless in the grand scheme of things, and I'm not a woman, only a little girl,” she retorted, a tad too sharply.

“Worthless it may be, but all the same, a mere boy like me cannot help but appreciate such a fine example.”

“A fine example of worthlessness?”

“You twist my words, Miss Evans.”

“You've got me figured out, Mr. Potter, I persist in digging for compliments.”

“In that case, I can assure you that I find you far from worthless.”

“Pray tell then, how do you find me?”

“Utterly fascinating.”

“And you base your assessment upon…?”

“My first impression.”

“First impressions are devious, you know.”

“Well then, hopefully I shall be allowed a second.”

“Hopefully you shall.”

They had danced to two pieces now, and she could see her mother throwing her a suspicious glance. It was time to move on before she had to endure her probing questions. Edward Chamberly was nowhere to be seen, which could only be a good thing. She did not imagine that he or her parents would find her plan at all amusing. On top of that, she had no idea what else to say to the cretin. She would have liked to flirt a bit more but the key was to take it slowly. If she left now, it would surely be inevitable that he would want to make the next move.

“Well if you don't mind, Mr. Potter,” she began, before he could reply to her. “I can see that my dear mother is searching for me. It was lovely to meet you.”

“And you,” he said, lifting her left hand to place a kiss upon it.

“Goodbye, Mr. Potter.”

“Goodbye, Miss Evans.”

She gave a short curtsey and turned away, feeling terribly uneasy.

0-0-0-0

“Are you sure I can't convince you to start an internship at my practice?”

Remus Lupin merely shook his head.

“I'm afraid that at the moment I'm undecided, Edward, but it is definitely something I would consider.”

“Well whenever you make your decision, there's always a job for you at Chamberly and son.”

“Thank you, Lord Harris. I will keep that in mind.”

“Why, here's Miss Evans! Miss Lily, do come and join me! This is my law partner, Lord Benjamin Harris. I believe you and he met a few days ago? Yes, yes. And this is a friend of mine, Mr. Remus Lupin.”

Lily groaned inwardly. Evidently she could only eavesdrop on one conversation without being noticed per night. That said she hadn't been making much effort to hide herself. She had rather hoped to avoid Chamberly all night, but her curiosity, upon seeing him talk to the wonderful Remus, had grown.

She put on her best smile, trying to dispel the feeling of anxiousness that she was carrying around in her gut and skipped gaily towards them.

“Hello, Lord Chamberly! Hello, hello, it's nice to meet you again,” she dipped into a curtsy.

“Nice to meet you again, Miss Evans, and may I say that you look utterly dazzling tonight.” Lord Harris was a thin, weedy looking man with a comically curly moustache. Lily had spoken with him the other day and was amused by his flamboyant nature.

“And it is nice to see you again, of course, Mr. Lupin.”

“You know Remus?”

“Oh, yes, I chatted briefly with him earlier.”

“About Shakespeare, if I remember correctly?” said her ally, his eyes twinkling. She nodded.

“Shakespeare?” said Chamberly. “How nice.”

Lily wondered if Chamberly had ever read Shakespeare in his life. Probably not. There was an odd little silence in which Chamberly coughed, Harris fiddled with his cuff-links and Remus looked like he was suppressing a laugh.

“I couldn't help but overhear some of your conversation, Lord Chamberly, and I must confess myself a little confused,” she suddenly addressed her future spouse.

“Confused? Why is that, my dear?”

“Well, Lord Harris is your partner in law, is this correct?”

“Yes,” he said, throwing a suspicious glance at Lord Harris.

“Then why is your firm called Chamberly and son?”

“Oh...oh, well, it used to belong to my father, but he has since passed it down to me.”

“Well, you must be a very intelligent and competent solicitor, Lord Chamberly, to take the reigns of a business at such a young age.”

“Well, yes, I suppose, thank you Lily...” Chamberly, for some reason, looked distinctly uncomfortable. His eyes darted around the room for a moment. “Er…Benjamin, you didn't happen to see- Oh, never mind, there he is!” he clapped his partner on the back. “Just stay put there for a second, Miss Lily.”

“Why…of course.”

“Keep an eye on her, Ben. Or else young Mr. Lupin here might get ideas!” he said, winking, before disappearing into the milling crowd. Lily turned her gaze upon Remus, amused. If only Chamberly knew what she did. Not that she was going to tell anyone, of course, not even Laura, who would surely disapprove. No, this was just another secret for her to keep.

Thinking of secrets led Lily to recapping the conversation that had just taken place.

“Lord Chamberly seemed a bit upset. Did I mention something amiss?” she enquired of no one in particular.

“It's nothing you were likely to know about, Miss Evans,” said Lord Harris. “Edward is a bit sensitive about his father.”

“Why is that?”

“Well she's a curious cat, isn't she?"

"I'm ashamed to admit that I am, Lord Harris."

"Well Miss Evans, I'm not really supposed to tell anyone."

"Oh? But I do care ever so much for Lord Chamberly. It troubles me to think that anything is distressing him.

Men, she thought triumphantly, are all the same. Harris' expression softened and he leaned in towards her.

"Very well, Miss Lily, and don't tell anyone I told you this, mind.”

She nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus furrow his brow and knew that he was paying rap attention.

“Edward's father, who is also named Edward, ran the business for thirty years and took Edward under his wing as an intern seven years ago. He was a fantastic solicitor, you know, rarely lost a case, and he was a terrific person to work for. Until about a year ago,” here he stopped and looked nervously over the crowd, as if expecting to see someone writing down his words on a piece of parchment..

“Yes?”

“Well, last year Edward Chamberly senior took a turn for the worse, you could say.”

“Did he... die?” said Lily softly.

“No.”

“What happened to him then?” said Remus.

“Dementia,” Harris said simply. “Lost his mind. It's such a pity too, he was a fine man. He lives in a hospital in London now. Your father's hospital, actually,” he inclined his head towards Lily. “Edward gets horribly depressed about it. He was very fond of his father and they were very close, especially since his mother passed- Oh, hush now, he's coming back.”

Lily whipped around to see Chamberly making his way over, accompanied by her own father. She suddenly felt bad for disliking him so much. What a horrible ordeal to suffer through. She smiled weakly at her father, trying not to imagine what it would be like to lose someone to such an illness.

“Mr. Evans, I remembered that I never introduced you to Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Charles Evans, Lily's father.”

The two shook hands.

“It's nice to meet you sir.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Mr. Evans replied, surveying him with the same critical eye that Lily knew he surveyed everyone with. “I presume that you came here with the three other young men?”

“If you are referring to Sirius, James and Peter, then yes, I did.”

“Where is James anyway?” said Chamberly.

“I think he is with Sirius and Peter.”

“That he is not, Remus. I checked.” Chamberly pointed over to where Sirius and Peter were. Lily took a good look. One of the boys, short and round, was sitting gloomily on a suede lounger beside an even gloomier, though very comely boy who seemed to be ignoring the chattering of a young lady who was practically sitting on top of him. She stole a glance at Remus.

“Sirius is the dark haired one,” he said, by way of explanation.

“Your friends are very nice young men, Mr. Lupin, as I am sure you are aware.”

Remus nodded.

“I always liked the Pettigrew boy best myself. The other two are a tad too outgoing for my liking,” said Harris, who was one of the most outgoing people Lily had ever met.

“Oh no Benjamin, Pettigrew is a little mouse of a boy. Potter and Black are far more interesting,” argued Chamberly.

“I liked the Potter boy,” said Lord Evans. “Pleasant chap, good strong handshake.”

Lily was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable. How ironic it was that they had to start talking about him.

“Oh yes, James is a fantastic young fellow,” said Chamberly, wearing a triumphant look, as if the cretin's apparent brilliance was entirely down to him. “Which brings me back to my original question, where is he? I was hoping to introduce him to Lily.”

“Oh, you needn't introduce him to my daughter, Edward. She was dancing with him twenty minutes ago.”

Her insides seemed to freeze up, and she was uncomfortably aware of four pairs of eyes gazing at her. Harris' eyebrows were raised so high that they were in danger of flying away, Remus looked grim, and even Chamberly was looking suspicious. Her father, on the other hand, looked rather pleased.

“You were dancing with James Potter?” Chamberly questioned.

“We conversed briefly,” she replied, trying to look and sound as if the subject was of no importance to her. “He seemed pleasant.” There, that sounded convincing.

“If I may be excused,” said her father. There was an odd smirk playing about his lips. “I need to speak to Petunia about something.”

“I shall talk to you later, Charles.”

“Lily, darling.” Her father leaned in to kiss her forehead, thus ensuring that she was the only one who heard his amused whisper.

“I know you too well, Lily.”

0-0-0-0

Now, James thought, leaning his head against the cool window pane, was the time for him to forget about Lily Evans. And he feared that this was something easier said than done. He glanced quickly behind him, just to make sure that no one had entered the empty lounge. He had forgotten to close the door behind him. Once he established that he wasn't being watched, he flicked his wand and waited until after the door had shut and the satisfactory click of the lock was heard, before turning back to the window.

That girl was going to be Mrs. Edward Chamberly. The thought of it almost made him laugh. This girl couldn't be engaged to that idiot, he had to have it wrong. It must be some other girl, because there was no way that this girl would marry him. That he knew right off the bat. He prided himself on having fairly good intuition, and this girl was definitely something out of the ordinary. But hadn't Chamberly explicitly said that it was Lily Evans that he was betrothed to? James was sure that he had, and he was sure that she knew as well. There was no denying that she was an intelligent girl. But then why would she come up and demand that he ask her to dance?

In fact, now that he thought about it, there had been something seriously amiss about their conversation, although he couldn't put his finger on it. For the most part, she seemed strangely guarded and prim. At some points in the conversation, she had talked to him in a tone that was bordering on sharp, but on the other hand, she had willingly stood so close to him that only a small movement would have found his lips on hers and he couldn't forget the way she had answered him when he enquired about seeing her again. Her tone had implied...well, he had been sought after enough at Hogwarts to know that this girl was suggesting something more than tea and crumpets. Somehow, that didn't seem like her either. On top of that, he had talked to Remus a few minutes ago and Remus gave him an entirely different description of her, one that seemed a lot more accurate. He was confused.

That crazy, spontaneous compliment. He had told himself not to, and yet it had slipped out before he could catch himself. If he had been able, James would have drawn out his wand and hexed himself right then and there. This girl was to be wed to another man, and he was flirting with her! If Chamberly knew of the thoughts that were running through his mind right now, he would probably challenge him to a fist fight, and then James would be forced to hurt him. Not that the idea wasn't appealing, but the fact of the matter was, forming some kind of romantic attachment to this girl could only end in tears.

But she had flirted with him. Not in an obvious way, like Elvira Patil, but she had, most definitely.

When James Potter saw something he liked, be it a racing broom or the best slice of cake, he had to have it, and there was no stopping him. But it had never happened with a girl before, and Merlin, did he want her. But this girl was promised to another, this much he knew. There were multiple warning signs flashing in his head, telling him that this was dangerous. His best bet would be to let Chamberly have her. As much as he disliked the man, stealing her from him would be wrong, even if she was flirting with him, something that was also confusing. She didn't look like the type of girl who would consent to adultery. She was far too classy.

But there was one thought, one single, solitary thought; that won out against every argument he put forward in his mind, no matter how hard he tried to disregard it. And even as he vowed to leave her alone, he knew it was all in vain.

For just moments ago, upon raising her hand to his lips, he had taken a good look at her fingers.

Her ring finger, to be precise.

And it was bare.

She wasn't engaged yet.

Oh Potter, you're about to do something really foolish.

Review?

Oh, and just a few things. I know that Canon!Dudley is not that much older than Canon!Harry, but he is crucial (and I mean crucial) in a certain VERY IMPORTANT part of the story, so therefore I made him a bit older. And also, I've had some reviews from people asking me who Portia is. My answer: Read The Merchant of Venice. You'll see Lily in her... promise.

-->