The Christmas Ball

This is a super long chapter, so sorry for that. I just figured that this is probably the most important part in my story, so why not. I hope you like it! Once again, I'm going to be posting the last chapters really quick.

JamesEverything had been perfected for the upcoming ball. Although Lily had taken over most of the project, James had worked hard on whatever he could. The Great Hall had been decorated just as they planned.

James stood near the wall of the Great Hall shooting silver and gold ribbon out of his wand. The ribbon tied into bows that hung on the wall. Lily was across the Hall, adding the finishing touches to the giant tree. Everything was perfect.

When Lily finished her job, she looked around the Hall once. Pride filled her expression.

"Good work!" she called over to James. It was the first complete sentence she'd spoken to him in weeks, even if it was only two words. Although, even this sentence had barely any emotion compared to how she used to speak to him.

James nodded to her, afraid that if he spoke, all of the words he was trying to keep in his head would come pouring out. He turned and left the hall.

Later that evening

James was dressed for the evening in his black dress robes. He and Peter were both going without dates to the Ball- Peter couldn't get one, and James refused to go with anyone but Lily.

Sirius was going with Marlene. Silently, James was quite mad about this. After all, it was Sirius who had pulled the prank on Snape, but he still had a date. Marlene had been mad at first, but she had come around. Too bad Lily was just too stubborn to do the same.

James also couldn't help but notice Remus' all black dress robes, too. He knew Remus asking Lily to the Ball had been for James' sake, but he still got jealous at the idea that it was Remus who was taking her, Remus who would walk in with her, Remus who would dance with her...

James checked the mirror in the dormitory one final time to make sure he was ready. He had styled his usual messy black hair for the occasion. He was quietly prideful with how it looked. He straightened his glasses on his nose before turning to the other Marauders.

"Should we be off then?" he asked. The others nodded in agreement and made their way to the common room. It was packed with smiling Seventh years who were all dressed for the evening.

The first girls James recognised were Alice and Mary. Alice was wearing a short black dress that puffed out at the waist. She was wearing tall heels to make up for her short height. Her short black hair had been straightened, but left to hang above her shoulders. James had always thought of Alice as cute. Her kind smile was always welcoming.

Mary looked great as well in a midnight blue dress that hugged her body. It made her blue eyes really stand out. Her long blond hair had been done into an elaborate braided up-do. James noticed that many guys were staring her way. They all seemed in awe at how good she looked.

"You both look very nice," James said kindly.

"Thanks!" Alice said cheerfully.

"Yeah thanks," Mary said with a smile. "Did you end up getting a date?"

"No," James said, trying to sound as if the fact didn't hurt him. Mary had seen through his attempt, though.

"I give you credit, James," she said. "You're one stubborn kid to hold out for her."

"Almost as stubborn as she is," he said, and the two girls laughed.

"Woah Marlene!" Sirius called from behind him. James turned to the steps leading to the Girl's Dormitory. He caught a quick glimpse of Marlene who wore a bright yellow gown that acted nicely with her dark skin. Her hair had been left in its natural curls. She did look very beautiful, but James wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the girl next to her.

She wore a dark green gown that fell to the floor. The dark green dress brought out her green eyes and made her pale skin glow. The sleeves of the dress were lace and covered her pale arms and shoulders. Her bright red hair was curled and ran down her back. She wore a little makeup that made her eyelashes darker and her lips a pale pink, but it was the most makeup he'd ever seen her wear.

James had always known Lily Evans was beautiful, but this was like a punch to the gut. She was so gorgeous that it made his heart hurt, yet he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She and Marlene had reached the group by that point. Lily saw him gaping at her and a flush of red crossed her face. She turned away from him, as if he wasn't there. That hurt even more than James had been prepared for.

"Well, should we be off then?" Lily asked, looking at Remus.

"Sure," he replied. She walked to him and he took her arm. James' stomach lurched. They're just friends, he reminded himself, yet that didn't seem to make him feel any better. It was going to be a long night.

Lily When Lily had come down to the common room, she had seen James' reaction to seeing her. His mouth had been open and he had looked at her as if she was the most wonderful thing in the world. She silently cursed herself for blushing. She also cursed herself for noticing how good he looked dressed up.

When she had taken Remus' arm, it had been more as a reminder for herself who she was there with. Her mind was telling her that she hated James, that he was a lying jerk, but yet her heart was also telling her that she missed him.

When they all arrived to the Great Hall, Lily was instantly overwhelmed with pride at what she had created. The hall looked as beautiful as she had planned with all of its fake snow and silver and gold. Music filled the hall and created a festive theme.

Remus told Lily that he would go grab her a drink from the beverage table, so Lily went with Alice and Mary to dance. Lily had never been much of a dancer, but she moved along to the beat of the music as well as she could.

She caught sight of James to her left and was shocked to see that he was quite a good dancer. She looked away from him quickly, fearing that he would see through the angry mask she'd been putting up for weeks.

Remus returned with her drink after a few minutes and she drank it quickly. Dancing was a lot more tiring than she had remembered. She got rid of her cup and continued to dance with Remus now. He twirled her and she laughed.

The night went on wonderfully. Everyone was having a great time and was in high spirits. Sirius spun Marlene to the music as well, causing whooping and cheering.

After a long time of upbeat song, the band began to play a slow one. Remus put one hand on Lily's waist and the other in her hand in a casual dance position. Most of the other couples were dancing differently (the girl's hand around the guy's neck), but they seemed to silently agree that this way was less intimate.

"Are you happy with how your night turned out?" Remus asked her as they swayed.

"I am," Lily said, but are Remus was studying her expression.

"And yet it could have been better," he said quietly. Lily paled slightly, confirming Remus' suspicions. Remus looked to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.

Lily looked around as well and saw someone slipping out of the Hall. She returned her attention to Remus who looked as if he were thinking unbelievably hard.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I need to tell you the truth." he said quietly. "Follow me."

He held onto her hand as he dragged her out of the Great Hall in into the corridor. Lily was breathing heavy in anticipation. When he had checked the coast was clear, Remus guided her into the shadow of one of the arches and began his story.

"You were lied to by Severus. No, Severus didn't lie about the events that happened on the grounds the night he was almost killed, but the reasoning behind the events even he doesn't know. And you deserve an explanation."

His voice was shaky and he sounded terrified.

"Sirius was the one who played the prank on Snape, not James. In fact, when James realized Severus was in danger, James risked his own life to save him. James is the bravest person I have ever met."

Lily was trying to imagine the possibility, but she wasn't convinced yet.

"I'm not lying to you, Lily. James did not set me up to this. So, just listen. You see, James was not only trying to save Snape, but he was also trying to protect my secret. I'm going to tell you something only a few given people know about me, and I understand if you hate me or are afraid of me when I do."

Lily tried to imagine being afraid of Remus. What kind of secret was he keeping? Why did he look so afraid? She held her breath, waiting for something that would change her view on him forever.

"I'm...I'm... I am a werewolf."

Lily felt her jaw drop. Remus looked as if he was prepared for her to run away screaming. Lily looked at the scars on his face and realized they must be werewolf claw marks. She let the idea sink in and for a moment she was silent.

She tried to think if she should be afraid, but all she could think was, Poor Remus. She stepped forward and hugged him. She could feel him instantly relax in her arms. When they let go, Remus explained to her everything from the Shrieking Shack to illegal animagi. Lily was surprised at how easy she took all of the information.

When he was done, she let out a deep breath. Suddenly, she thought of James. He had lied to her to protect Remus. He really was a true Gryffindor, brace and courageous. She felt terrible.

"Thank you for trusting me, Remus," she said. It was all she could think to say. He had told her so much and she felt suddenly overwhelmed.

"Thank you for taking it so well," he said quietly. He looked slightly embarrassed.

"I owe James an apology, don't I?" Lily asked.

"You do," he said firmly. "I told you all of this because I didn't want James to have to suffer to protect me."

"Is he in the Great Hall?" Lily asked.

"No, I saw him slip out. I think he went back to the common room."

"Alright," Lily said. She hugged Remus one last time before walking back up to the common room, thinking about what she wanted to say to James. After passing through the fat lady's portrait, Lily scanned the room for James, praying that he hadn't gone to bed. She didn't see him, but suddenly he was coming down the dormitory stairs. It was almost if it had been on cue.

He took a seat in one of the chairs near the fire, but didn't look her way. Lily saw that he had something in his hands that looked like a piece of parchment.

"James?" she asked from behind him. He turned to look at her. Upon seeing her, he got the same look in his eyes that he had had when he first saw her coming down the steps earlier.

"Are you talking to me now, Evans?" he asked. His words weren't bitter, but she felt as if she'd been slapped.

"I came to say that I'm sorry."

He looked shocked at that. He motioned for her to sit in the seat next to him and she did so.

"Remus told me," she said.

"Told you what?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Everything," she whispered.

"What is everything?"

She leaned in towards him to whisper, "He told me that he's a werewolf."

James gaped at her. He looked as if he were in utter disbelief. Lily explained to him everything Remus had told her. It felt good to talk to someone besides Remus, who would only be offended by her questioning. When she was done, she added one final thing.

"He also told me that you're an animagus."

James smiled. He said, "I'm full of surprises."

"I'm sorry for everything," Lily said again. Her voice was sincere.

"I understand why you were angry, but Lily," he said softly, "I need you to understand that I would never intentionally hurt you."

She nodded. It was really the first time they had really looked each other in the eye since their disagreement.

"So you're an animagi. That means you turn into some kind of animal?" she asked him quietly. No one else was in the common room, but she stayed cautious. James nodded and was watching her as if he was afraid that she would scold him for making such a stupid decision.

"What do you turn into?" she asked curiously. James laughed, clearly relieved.

"A stag," he said.

"Ah, right. They do call you Prongs." He laughed at that again. Lily looked down at her hands and caught sight of the piece of parchment that James was holding. There were names on it. She recognised that they were all people in school. Some of them were moving. "What is that?" she asked as she pointed to it.

"Ah this," James said, looking down at the parchment, "is something we've come to call the Marauder's Map. The Marauders and I designed ourselves. We can see where anyone in the castle is at any given moment."

"Woah," Lily muttered. James opened the map and Lily searched for the names she knew. It really was incredible magic. She laughed when she saw Marlene and Sirius' names together alone in the corridor. She could only wonder what they were doing.

"Is this how you knew I was coming?" Lily asked. "You ran down the steps just as I came in."

James blushed and ran a hand through his styled hair. "Uh, yes. I was hoping to see you in your dress one more time tonight."

Lily's face flushed, but she leaned forward and took his hand. She pulled him to his feet and put her arms around his neck. He froze for a moment, just staring at her, but eventually he put his hands on her waist. They swayed back and forth in the light from the blazing fire.

"I figured that I should dance once with the person I got dressed up for," Lily said quietly. James smiled down at her. She didn't know how long they stayed there, but when they heard the opening of the fat lady's portrait, they quickly broke apart.

Oh how the night has turned, Lily thought, but she was glad. Everything felt right again and she felt as if something that had been squeezing her heart had been released. She said goodnight to James and went to bed with a smile.