October 1: We Are The Champions (Open)

[Charlotte Fudge]

continued from here

Where are are, in brief, as it's a long thread to review haha.

- NPC Cole & Alex

- Doe has left

- Lily just dropped off to James by Sirius

- Guin just approached by Sirius

So...suggested posting order for us to start out, but as peeps are having their own convos it'll of course switch, and if you have muse do what you want ahaha.
- Charlotte
- Remus
- Lily
- James
- Guin
- Sirius

---

Remus seemed to be picking up whatever she was putting down, and it was quite remarkable and unusual to have immediate affirmation from someone who didn't know her too well. Charlotte easily - more easily than usual - returned his smiles, and chuckled at his potential future "disappointment." "Well, I wouldn't want to do that," she said sincerely.

She looked up suddenly, her demeanor changing instantly as she heard her brother's words, saw him looking down at her like that. Her smile was gone, replaced by a blank look covering up her discomfort, hopefully shielding her inner thoughts.

Because it was embarrassing to be addressed like this, regardless of the company. Like she was some wrong-doing first year caught stealing, not a going-on-seventeen with a stainless record. What was it that she had done to bring about this sort of condescending question? She was in her House common room. No matter how uncomfortable she was, she had the right to be here, just as much as anyone. The Sorting Hat had given her this right years ago, and she'd hardly taken advantage of it. For years she stayed in the library or other forgotten places to avoid these frivolous affairs, the only exposure she had to them the mess that was left, or the reverberations from the music hitting her in her four-poster above. It wasn't as if she all of a sudden wanted to become some sort of party girl - but she didn't deserve to be called out in public for simply being in public!

Whether for good or for bad, Remus and Alex said nothing - Remus shifted his arm away from her, Alex laughing and mimicking his look - and the awkward quad was interrupted by the exuberant Guinevere Crane before it, hopefully, became apparent that Charlotte was still searching for words. This was a delicate matter, to say the least, and it wouldn't do to show Cole how upset she was, not here, not now. She gave the girl an absent smile as Remus started to mumble, obviously wanting to get out of here, and she could not blame him. Why did Cole have to make her having a simple conversation so unnecessarily difficult?

She didn't want to argue in front of the others - but she also didn't want to validate his question. Instead Charlotte grabbed her schoolbag, got to her feet, and found herself eye-to-eye with her brother. She asked as steadily as she could, "Can we go and talk?"

Char watched nervously as her brother scoffed, and soon he was laying a hand on her back to begin steering her away. "That would be best." He lead them to the stairs to the boys' dormitory, releasing her and leaning against the stairwell wall once they were inside. Cole gave her an expectant look, folding his arms across his chest. She felt guilty under his gaze - he'd just won a match, he shouldn't have to be taking the time out to repri- He shouldn't be reprimanding you in the first place, Charlotte...

So instead the younger Meyers matched his look, taking a leaf out of his book, as it were. She crossed her legs at the ankle, trying to appear as confident as he was, but cooler, not as agitated. Because nothing had happened, she was honestly just having a conversation. And she wasn't going to drink or anything, Remus had offered to get Alex and herself something safe...But Merlin was it hard to actually say this!

"You played really well today, Cole," she began, nudging his foot with hers, trying to get him to realize this was not that big of a deal. "And as for what I am doing here," Charlotte quickly continued before he could interrupt, "Alex and I were studying at the library after the match, finished up, and came back to the Tower. And we just got to talking with Remus. That is it. All right?" Her voice softened at her last as she looked at him imploringly, not wanting to upset him more, just wanting the brother she loved to understand.

But Cole rolled his eyes, not having it, and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, so similar to hers. But at this moment it felt as if that and their last name were the end of their similarities. "Char, it doesn't matter how you got here - you stayed. Should've just gone up to your room when you saw this was going on, you know this is no place for you."

It was as if something within the mild-mannered girl had snapped. She'd nodded along to sentiments like this before, always had, but it felt as though she was observing a character from one of her beloved books. She wanted to root for this girl, to turn the page and be excited for her story to continue. And she couldn't, not unless the girl developed a backbone. So it was with a bit more energy than usual that Charlotte continued. "Nothing has happened, and it's not like I was going to dance - " Circe forbid, and she knows where you have been this whole time. " - or drink or anything. Alex and I were just having a conversation. With someone you've known for years. You're fond of him, have always spoken highly. Just talking, Cole."

"You don't know what talking can lead to - "

"Do you think I'd let it? Go from a simple conversation to running off, just like that?" Her exasperation was clear, and she shook her head to try and clear it, tucking her hair behind her ears and taking a steadying breath before looking back up to him. "Can't you trust me on this?" At this moment, Char wasn't even sure where she would go from here - this was exhausting, and she didn't know if Alex and Remus would even still be sitting together, so she may just wind up in her dorm...but she had to make her point. Make leaving her decision, not his.

"It's not that simple, Charlotte. I trust you, not them - "

"Then trust me to handle myself, and know when I'm out of my depth, when I should excuse myself," she said firmly, reaching out for him across the narrow stairwell. He shook her off, turning to head up the stairs, before looking at her with disdain that she'd never seen from him before.

"This isn't like your books - the quiet girl doesn't come out of her shell without consequences," Cole returned, voice clipped. "You're not ready for this, Charlotte. That's my final say."

She watched with trepidation as he disappeared around the bend, wondering if he'd change his mind and storm after Alex or Remus, demand that she go to her dorm...but he didn't. She worried her lip as she waited...until realizing she didn't need to wait. A slight laugh escaped her and Charlotte left the stairwell as a couple entered; she scooted out of their way and was soon back in the common room, feeling rather light. The enormity of what had just passed would hit her when she was alone, she knew, and she'd have some major damage control to do...but the first step in a different direction was always the most difficult, wasn't it? In oddly high spirits the girl looked about, trying to spy the couch she'd been at with the others. Had Remus stayed, or had Cole's appearance made him rethink even speaking with her? That would hurt, but...she couldn't rightly blame him...

[Remus Lupin]

Remus breathed a sigh of relief as Cole and Charlotte walked away. He didn't know why he felt so guilty, he had simply been talking to the girl and her friend, but when Cole had arrived he felt like he had been doing something incredibly terrible. Perhaps it had just been the tone in the boys voice that made him feel that way, Remus thought. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong. He had simply been trying to enjoy the party in the only way he really knew how, sitting down and watching his friends have fun. Of course, the boys would eventually get some drinks in him and he would loosen up a bit, but for now he was trying to be on his best behavior.

While she was gone, Remus stared awkwardly at Alex, unsure of how to make conversation with the girl. Eventually, he nodded at her and then went to find a couple drinks, before bringing them back. He didn't bother to smell to see if they had alcohol in them, he was sure the younger girl didn't care at at this point he figured the alcohol would calm his nerves. He was halfway through sitting there awkwardly and drinking when Charlotte appeared at the stairs. He put a hand in the air, waving at her, and then wondered briefly why he had done that. He supposed their conversation had been nice, but now that he was drinking he almost felt like he was asking for trouble by inviting her back over.

So he put his hand back down, looking around the room before staring into his drink. Tonight had already been an interesting night, and he felt like it wasn't about to calm down.

[Deleted]

James had a clear reaction to her off-handed mention of Sam. Her stomach jolted in… guilt?... nah. Sam was just a mate. They hung out some over the summers and at the parties, but there had never been anything, as far as she could tell. At the mention of her weaving stories about her time at Hogwarts the thought of a muggle boy being closer to Lily than James was clearly melted from his mind. Instead her grin was met with enthusiasm. His tease had hit the mark though and Lily’s cheeks flushed bright red. Somehow it sounded stupid when it came out of his mouth. “Well…” her eyes were focused on anything but him “yeah…” She laughed. “Sounds ridiculous, but they eat it all up…” She chanced a glance back at his face. It seemed to encourage her to go on.

Lily jumped straight into it too. As she spoke she unthreaded her hands from his and slipped them over his shoulders. Nervously, however, she picked at her nails behind his neck. “It’s all about putting a muggle spin on it.” she explained “Four houses. Major rivalries. Devilish pranksters. Extremely competitive matches. Increasingly difficult classes…. Watered down Hogwarts is just like any boarding school really.” She shrugged then gave him a small wink. “They wonder why it’s worth the day long train ride to Scotland but I just give them a mysterious smile and be done with it.” Insert teasing spin and jibe about Quidditch and suddenly he was holding her even closer.

Something seemed to settle in Lily as James’ muscular form held her in place. Her hands came to rest on his arms and suddenly she was dancing with the Quidditch Captain instead of the mischief maker. The jock and the nerd. How cliché. But somehow… She shook her head and laughed to stop her own thoughts and to try to come up with something witty to counter his logic. “I don’t need to cheer for all of you if I cheer for the one carrying the team.” Zingers were their language. When true punches were being thrown the whole world knew it. This. This was just them. Their thing. Each of them had honed it over the years.

She raised her eyebrows at him waiting for his contribution. Whether it was because she knew the effect it would have on him, or whether she was, in some carnal way, enjoying the feel of it, Lily slid her hands up the toned muscles of James arms, over his shoulders, and finally brought them to rest on the bare skin at the nape of his neck. All conscious acknowledgement of the severity of the situation left her as the bass continued to throb through her bones and dictate their joint movements. That was, until it stopped.

Almost as soon as she had pulled away and, like an idiot, walked up to the person in the room who detested her the most and asked for a dance, Lily regretted it. She had been trying to see where these new roads could lead her and it disappointed her that she didn’t have the guts to see it through. Perhaps even worse was the electric guilt coursing through her veins. Sirius’ pointed raising of his eyebrows stuck a chord in the already on edge red head. He growled out a fair point, but she was not going to acknowledge that.

While not having ever been very amiable, the mood darkened between the pair. If possible, their relationship had been even worse than that between Potter and her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that some part of Sirius resented her, and she had never not returned the sentiment. The pure anxiety between the two made Lily pause to wonder that if she did (and she was NOT saying it was ever going to happen or anything) wind up “developing” something more with Potter, how in Merlin’s name her and Sirius were going to reconcile. No doubt Remus would be all over that. But now was not the time to worry about any of those impossibilities. Now was the time to stand up for herself.

Lily rose her eyebrows at her dance partner. “Oh?” She was Lily Evans. Even Sirius Black wouldn’t make a pass at someone he clearly held so much distain for, nor would she ever brag attractiveness or looks as one of her crowning features. Being shocked into her normal disgust for her Housemate Lily snapped into the Evans/Black banter that occurred considerably less frequently than Evans/Potter antics, but was, if possible, even shaper. Not to mention poisonous. “Try me then Black.” While the boy was one for dares this was beyond the grade that even he could take… assumed Lily. You won’t. She challenged him silently and, forgetting herself for a moment and pulled herself close to young man.

She had hoped that mentioning their shared neutral friend that she could relieve some of the tension. Apparently, Lily was wrong. Not missing the eye roll, nor the dismissive tone, Lily set her jaw. She was starting to wish for another drink. “Oh yes…” don’t go there. Don’t go there…. “I imagine you do…. What is it, if I may ask, that you two do talk about?” Not your mutual attraction that’s for sure. Or do you let her in on all of your escapades. Lily was only granted Willa’s side of the story, and sometimes she had to refrain from giving her full and honest opinion. Sirius was never going to settle down, especially for as nice of a girl as Willa. It hurt Lily to watch, but it wasn’t her business. Apparently something had clicked between the two… it’s a friends job to worry though.

The awkward dancing continued as painfully as it could. Thankfully the pair fell into silence as Lily focused on following Sirius. For all the negative vibes Lily wanted to send his way, the boy was an excellent dancer. A great leader. Strong like… James. She swallowed her heart back down into her chest. While she had come over her for the absence of feelings, as she looked over at James and Doe some part of Lily couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have their electricity flow in a positive direction.

Caught in the act, Lily was thrown off beat before her mouth could react to Sirius’ jibe. Truly and honestly accidentally she stepped on his foot. Looking down she smirked to herself over the timing of it. Serves you right. She thought, but converted the smirk into a genuinely apologetic smile before looking up to him. “I told you I can’t dance…. Better your foot sustain an injury than the Quidditch Captain’s aye?” Let him think what he would. One stubbed toe wouldn’t make or break the relationship between her and Black.



Guin’s voice broke into the stalemate between her and Sirius. Her partner pulled away, granting her room to take a steadying breath. What the hell am I doing? She turned to watch the trio. This was not Lily’s place. She wanted to bolt again. Guin’s easy movements and fluidity of dancing caught Lily’s attention. After this dance she was just going… Do me a solid? She looked up with a mixture of terror and question in her face as the pro maneuvered them in the very direction she had just been looking. She wanted to plead with him. Maybe beat against his chest. Could she manage a quick getaway? Before it was too late, however, Lily watched as Doe stepped away and Sirius deposited her right in front of Potter.

Lily hardly took kindly to being handed off like a “thing.” Just a doll to be passed from one child to the next. “I have no use of being taking care of Black!” Lily yelled after him as he followed… well not his head that was for sure…. Across the dance floor to begin seductively swaying with Guin. Lily let out a huff and rolled her eyes.

In a flash, and without a word, Doe was gone as well. Lily wanted to follow her, but it seemed like she just needed to get out of there. Fresh air washed over the crowd as the portrait hole served as her exit. “These people are nuts.” Lily bemoaned. She gulped as she continued to watch the pair of perhaps the most attractive Gryffindores provide a perfect example of what Lily supposed was expected of most partygoers. There was nothing like that in her.

She suddenly felt crowded in towards the person she had just too harshly jilted. Lily couldn’t look at him. She adjusted her pony tail anxiously and tried to even her breathing. Every option available to her crossed her mind. “I’m getting a drink.” She informed him then finally mustered the courage to meet his eyes. She lightly touched his elbow “Coming?”

[James Potter]

There really wasn't much lovelier a sight than a blushing Lily Evans. Especially when he'd been the one to make it happen. His grin only widened as she looked about, admitting that he'd guessed correctly. When she finally looked at him, James gave her an expectant nod, wanting her to give actual details, not just say that he'd been right. Although he'd never tire of that bit.

She got more...daring, as she spoke, bringing herself closer to him by latching her arms around his neck. He was proud of himself with the absolutely nonchalant manner in which he did the same about her hips, still grinning as she continued on about what she told the muggles about her education. He had to give a laugh at her mention of devilish pranksters - had he made it into the stories? - but when she said Hogwarts was like any school he momentarily stopped their swaying until she'd finished. "Evans. Hogwarts - even watered down - could beat out any other school. What has all the talk of this mystery school done to your pride?" Without skipping a beat, the boy began to sing the school song - his chosen tune was vaguely reminiscent of The Yellow Submarine, but one couldn't be completely sure.

He was gifted in many ways, James Potter. Musically was not one.

However, athletically was, and he was downright appalled at her not knowing who was carrying the team.

Nothing against Dorcas - she was brilliant at what she did, and he'd sing her praises until he was blue in the face.

But he was the captain. It was his job to carry the team! Not that they needed carrying - but he was their leader -

As if she knew he needed to be distracted after she said that, Lily was doing just that. Her fingers made a languid trail up his mostly bare arms, across his shoulders, to the back of his neck. All while looking at him like she had him cornered.

He'd take back that thought from before - there really wasn't much lovelier a sight than this.

Woman...

"Who d'you think shoulders the weight of it all, Lily? Not as easy as it looks, getting that lot to fly around like a well-oiled machine. You run about in my uniform for a day, and you won't question who carries the team." Thoughts of Lily in his uniform were then, naturally, brought to the forefront of his mind, and the young man laughed, tearing his eyes from hers.

~*~*~*~

"Why can't it just be easy, Meadowes?" The question was a sigh, and his friend had no answer - they'd both been led wrong that night, after all. As if on cue to cheer them up, Guinevere sidled up to them, popping a kiss on the other girl's cheek, her arms around them both. James let out a laugh as her energy - and accurate cheer - revitalized him, gladly accepting the kiss from his friend and teammate. "To the greatest team there's ever been!" he roared, a rowdy cry taken up by the surrounding couples, despite the lulling of the music. Soon after the departure of his fantastic Chaser, he and Doe were again interrupted.

This time by a Lily-dragging Sirius. James eyed his friend as Lily gave him a yell - Take care of - she left me, you dolt. - but he went to chase down Guin immediately, and Doe was out of his arms within that same moment. Not knowing what to do with himself now - obviously Lily wasn't looking to dance, her words overshadowing the way she was staring after Sirius and Guin - the young man looped his thumbs through his belt-loops, close enough to the girl he'd fallen for to wrap himself around her, but those few inches between feeling more like a wall than air. He should probably have just been the one to leave this time. She couldn't even look at him, Merlin's sake. Or he should've said something, but he was still...miffed. So he let the silence hang until she broke it, his brows raising in nothing less than surprise at her offer.

"Yeah, sure. Why not, Evans," he said, the sarcasm heavy as he was still none too pleased at having been left, and still too tipsy to contain the disappointment that should have been easy enough to cover up. James knew full well that he was being rather petulant, but at this point couldn't be much bothered to care. He'd been nothing but a gentleman tonight and she'd still run scared, only to be forced back into his company by Paddy. The way she'd been dancing with him, how could he have anticipated her leaving? She had to know what being like that, with him, did to him - didn't she? She wouldn't play him. She wouldn't. So she had to be feeling something.

If nothing else, drunk Lily was attracted to him - and, honestly, what wasn't to like, the girl would've had to be mad to not feel anything while they were dancing - so at least he knew that, at some level deep, deep down, only to be unearthed by consuming copious amounts of whiskey, Lily felt similarly to him. That was something.

And a drink wouldn't hurt him either. Regardless of what Sirius always teased about him being a lightweight. He was not.

With an audible sigh, James laid a hand on the small of her back, keeping her to him protectively out of necessity as he led them out of the throng of red and gold, and over to the precariously perched punchbowl. He sloshed two generous portions of the neverending stuff into cups for them, handing one to her before half-draining his own. The stuff had a warming bite to it, and as he lowered his cup, giving the girl with him a considering look, he did try to calm himself a bit.

Even accepting one dance from him had been a big change. If he thought this was confusing for him, there was no telling how disorienting it was for her. But it wasn't as if he was some terrible person anymore! Would it really be so awful? To be seen as his girl? There were worse choices, surely. He leaned back against the table, sipping more than drowning himself in the drink, before giving her side a nudge, gesturing towards the crowd. "See anything you like?" he asked, laughing at himself as he tipsily held her gaze.

[Daisy Hookum]

Daisy was not about to miss this after party, it had already been going on for a couple of hours now. And while Charlotte may not question her absence from the dorm, surely someone would catch on that neither Daisy or Peter had made it back to the common room. So with a sigh, she pulled away from Peter, adjusting her shirt as she peeked into the hallway. Once someone figured out they were gone, they were sure to come looking for the two. Sirius and James had a knack for always seeming to know where Daisy and Peter were, which had grown rather annoying over the past couple of years.

There was no one in the hall, and she turned to look back at Peter, frowning. She didn't want to leave him, but parties were important. Especially in his last year, he should be celebrating with everyone else, not hidden in a broom cupboard with her. So she gave him one last kiss before slipping out the door, and continued on her way to the common room, doing her best to fix any out of place clothing or makeup.

Upon entering the common room, was met with a rather surprising scene. While Sirius and Guin dancing was perfectly normal, Lily Evans was close to James Potter. She raised her eyebrows as she went to grab a drink, turning to survey the room. There was Remus, sitting next to Alex on a couch and....Charlotte? Daisy almost dropped her drink in surprise. Her friend was never normally allowed to these things!

Daisy hurried over, a smile plastered on her face and she slipped her arm around Charlotte's, tugging on her excitedly. "Charlotte! Look at you, coming to a party. I'm surprised Cole hasn't dragged you away." There had to be a reason that Charlotte was suddenly attending this sort of event, and Daisy was going to get to the bottom of it.

[Deleted]

Guin smiled a satisfied little smirk when she looked up and found Sirius intent on her, but she wouldn’t let him see her watching, so she swayed and she dipped to the music for all intends and purposes in her own little world. So when Sirius did deign to join her she was thoroughly surprised and the thrill made it all the better; when they were together it was always exciting. She turned in his arms and twined hers about his neck, but before she could answer him or greet him properly she spotted her best friend over Sirius’s shoulder. 

She reached up on tiptoe to see properly, simultaneously lacing her fingers through his hair. She dropped back to normal height with a sigh, there was nothing she could do if Doe wanted to leave then she would leave, and she had left, and Guinevere would let her be. Besides the other girl was probably going to meet up with Arnie and she had Sirius to occupy her hopefully for the rest of the evening. Later she would catch up with her best friend and discover her reasons for leaving such a great party, they had won! And what was up with her and James. Decided, she didn’t give it another thought, turning her undivided attention to the devilishly sexy man pressed so close to her. 

“Well I’m here now.” She said giving him an innocent look from under her lashes as she shimmied a little closer. “Congratulate me already.” She invited. She was more than game for some time with her on again off again lover. It had been a bit since last they had met up in that way. She wasn’t seeing anyone currently in any way, not that she ever had obligations. She didn’t do commitment. Either way she was always in for some Sirius Black. He was her first and surprisingly, contrary to most girls she had heard from, he was very good and they had been indulging in each other for a few years now. Guin leaned in and touched her lips to his teasingly. Why wasn’t he just kissing her already? 

[Deleted]

At the challenging look from the smaller redhead, Sirius' eyebrows rose. He wasn't trying to prove anything more to her than that his best mate was an awesome bloke - surely she didn't actually expect him to hit on her when the bloke that was mad for her was standing so close by. "Think I'll pass Evans, you're not my type." And she wasn't. Not at all. Which was probably a good thing based on the amount of lust James had for the bird.

He nearly stopped the both of them from moving at her next question - it was a simple, innocent one, sure, but there was something abut her tone that made him wonder what else she was asking him under all of her womanly wordsmithing. All Sirius could do was give her a shrug, "Normal stuff - the weather, the changing staircases, surprisingly we leave out any mention of nosy Head Girls." He and Robbins were pretty close, which meant that he knew she and the Gryffindor in his arms were the best of friends - when all was said and done though, Willa knew that he couldn't stand Evans and she respected that. Just like he knew she couldn't stand him teasing Snivellus and he respected her wishes too - well he respected her wishes when the git didn't curse their lot first anyway. He also made a point to make comments about him when she wasn't nearby because that was just what friends did.

Evans' words were f*cking irritating as all hell. And he found he couldn't respond to them without telling her to f*ck off and stop playing around with his James. She never saw how wrecked the bloke was after she had played around with him - not just messing with him on the rare occasion he actually asked her out, but letting it him think she was interested in getting to know him before shutting it all down because he would make a joke or something. For some reason, Prongs couldn't pick up on the fact that she was just teasing him, and Sirius didn't want to be the prick of a friend that brought it up - so here they all were stuck in limbo together. Best thing they could hope for would be to finish off school in one piece and never see each other again. Yep - Sirius could see himself being very happy if it worked out that way.

The redhead shouted out something unimportant to him as he separated from her and made his way to the true object of his affections but he couldn't pay attention to her when things were just getting interesting over here. Good ol' Prongs would look after her, maybe he'd even come to his senses and realize that she was playing him.

Sirius barked out a laugh at Guin's words - he had always loved how up front she was about these things - and tightened his grip on her amazing body as she drew herself closer to him too. He didn't need to be convinced anymore than that - seconds later, he caught her lips with his and kissed her hungrily. They had always fit well together, he and Guinevere, and it was wicked to note - as he deepened the kiss - that them being in their final year of school hadn't changed anything.

[Charlotte Fudge]

She’d just told off her brother.

She had told off her brother.

Oh, Merlin, was she going to pay for this.

But apparently...not today?

Besides, there was - there was someone who wanted to talk with her? Remus was waving at her - well, he was until he apparently got a bit confused and stopped, quietly looking about the room as he drank. Alex caught her eye as Charlotte smiled over at the pair; the other girl gave her a wink and slipped off the couch, taking her drink and bag with her. Char steeled herself, trying not to overthink this, before she started her way back to him; just as she’d told Cole, she was simply talking with a fellow Gryffindor. That shouldn’t be cause for alarm.

The girl was pulled from her thoughts as she felt a tug on her arm, and was tugged from her focus - yes, yes, definitely overthinking - as her Daisy joined her! Looking a mite disheveled. Char gave a laugh at her friend’s excitement and too-true words, doing her best to fix Daisy’s hair with her free hand.

"Well - ah - he tried," she admitted awkwardly, glancing over her shoulder at the stairs to the boys dormitories. Thankfully her brother wasn’t descending, checking up on her like she was eleven. "I...convinced him to see some sort of sense, though. Was just - um - talking with..." She nodded over at the now sole occupant of the maroon couch before meeting her friend’s eyes before continuing in a nervous rush. "And then Cole came by, did my best to stop him from making too big of a scene, went to talk him down, and here we are? D'you - is Pete around? Want to come sit?"

[Remus Lupin]

Why had he waved at her? It seemed rather silly, as he didn't exactly have anything to say. This year had been calm, at least until he had started spouting poetry at the Gryffindor table that one day. And now Charlotte, Cole's younger sister he had been warned to avoid, had spoken to him yet again. He was positive that she was uncomfortable at this party. Hell, right now he was uncomfortable at this party. After all, there were a lot of things happening around him, and he didn't exactly have the brain power at the moment to process everything.

Still, he had lost eye contact with Charlotte, so he took a moment to look around. Lily and James were still dancing, a conversation he was certainly going to have with both of them later. And Sirius was now - Remus turned back around. Dancing, yes. Sirius and Guin were dancing and he was not going even think about the possibilty of how that was going to end. He had gotten used to waking up with girls in their dorm room, although it was usually Daisy. She was a familiar face though, and it wasn't nearly as awkward seeing her in his room. Other people however? It was usually the same faces that came and went.

But it was still odd. 

He looked up from his drink, his eyes once again finding Charlotte in the crowd. He wanted her to come sit back down, even if it did mean that Cole was going to start a fuss with him later. He was already going to not hear the end of it from the older Meyers. Besides, he had enjoyed their conversation. But he spotted another familiar redhead with her, and he looked away as Daisy's eye met his.

It wasn't very surprising that in the next few seconds, the two girls appeared back at the couch, Daisy dragging Charlotte by the arm. He gave them both a smile, scooting closer to the arm of the couch to make room for the two of them. Daisy had been attempted to convince him to ask out Charlotte for a while now, determined to play matchmaker for all of them at any given point. So it was quite evident by the look on her face that she was all too pleased with this situation.

"Welcome back," he said quietly to Charlotte, giving Daisy a nod. "Everything ok?"

[Daisy Hookum]

There was a lot of noise at the party, and a lot of things happening. Which meant that, for now, Daisy and Peter's absence had gone unnoticed. Of course, she was sure Sirius or James would remember that they weren't around later and return to their normal teasing ways. But for now, they were both incredibly occupied. And Daisy was glad for their female distractions.

Daisy gave Charlotte a sheepish grin as her friend attempting to fix her hair, and Daisy ran her own hands through it, giving a small laugh. Well, at least Charlotte wasn't saying anything about her appearance, although that was mostly a conversation for later. She raised an eyebrow as Charlotte spoke, following her friends nod over to the couch. And she made eye contact with Remus Lupin. Remus, the one boy she thought would be perfect for Charlotte.

Daisy met Charlotte's eyes, a smirk tugging on her lips as she nodded along with the rest of her friends words. "You were talking with Remus? Oh, is this quite possibly an actual crush? I mean I heard all about his poetry spouting but now you are talking to a boy and telling off Cole?" She gave a grin, starting to move through the crowd to where the boy was sitting.

"I'm sure Pete will find me later, but for now, we are sitting," she whispered as they approached. He looked up at them and smiled, moving over to make sure they had room on the couch. And Daisy nudged Charlotte, before taking the seat furthest away from Remus so that Charlotte would be forced to sit next to him. 

[Deleted]

At his nod, Lily launched into her explanation. It felt oddly gratifying to be able to admit to someone exactly how much she had to lie. He became not only a part of the forged account of her school year, but also an accomplice in the act. “The worst is when they ask why I don’t have pictures… I tell them it’s because I’m usually too busy studying or spending time in the library… Coming up with alternatives for the classes is fun. I think everyone thinks I have a thing for chemistry because that’s the only way I can explain away potions…Well that and cooking. Everyone wants me to cook for them…” she blushed and looked away, “All I can really do is what my mums taught me.”

James didn’t get it. He would never be able to get it. A muggle born could come into the Wizarding World fully with all of their experiences and background. Going back after Hogwarts as the same person, however, was wildly impossible. In a world over holidays where her normalcy was constantly brought under harsh scrutiny, there was no way to survive but to mitigate the extraordinary qualities of her school. Such as how its alma mater could be sung to any tune at any given moment. How he broke into it with the music blaring in the background, Lily couldn’t even guess.

Out of embarrassment for him, Lily buried her face in the crook of his neck until his rendition of the song was over. A few people in their general vicinity attempted to join in. Everyone was thrown so out of tune by the music and had their own way of singing it that it became a roar of noise that culminated in almost the entire common area yelling “And learn until our brains all rot!” at the top of their lungs. Wild cheering and whooping followed, ending in the draining of drinks and continuation of the dancing.

From her spot nestled into him she could feel James’ chest rumble as he sang. The entire common area seemed even more alive with the energy of not only House, but also Hogwarts pride. When it was all over there seemed to be a cushion of silence between Lily and everyone else but James as she realized just how comfortable she had become. Their swaying had never ceased, but now it seemed to be the only thing in the world. Her heart beat out of time, and Lily pulled herself upright once again to meet James’ eyes. They were so close to hers now. It took her another heart beat to pull further away.

James took her Quidditch quip a bit too personally. Her mouth twisted to the side in a ‘joke much?’ expression. At the mention of running around in his uniform for a day she let out a laugh. “Yeah… right” she said shaking her head, determined never to get on a broom again in her life. “Your entire team shoulders it all… I mean they do have to put up with an insufferably stubborn captain, who I hear from a few reputable sources is also roguishly inventive to an almost infuriating point” Lily hoped he would take that as what it was. A joke. She wasn’t putting down his ability to lead or play. She had even mixed in a bit of a compliment. By now he should know that considering the strides she had made since his appointment to Head Boy. James’ understanding could only go so far, which showed through the pain in his eyes when she fearfully abandoned him.

She hoped that James knew how much Black was punishing her for it. Lily wouldn’t let Sirius see her sigh of relief, but she was grateful her bluff had gone unchallenged.. “Well thank God for that Black. I was staring to think you’d try to shag anyone gifted with a decent pair of breasts.” Underhanded and mean, sure, but wasn’t Sirius displaying those qualities as well? Her daring side was coming out in all the wrong ways. Hurtful ways. Perhaps that was why she chose to nearly pick a fight over his relationship with her best friend. It had hit its mark, which made Lily feel slightly vindicated.

“Forgive me for being curious.” Lily tried to repair something. “I just… I care about her and can be a bit protective…” That was polite coding for ‘I don’t trust you worth a damn especially where my best friend is concerned. But there may be hope for us yet.’ If they could just get through this dance unscathed. All of the people closest to Lily thought very highly of the young man that she was dancing with. More so than James’ involvement in the whole horrid series of events with Severus, Black’s words and actions had cut her to the bone. He had no ulterior motive like Potter had had. He was being cruel, in Lily’s view, for the sake of being cruel.

Nerves on both sides struck, the only thing to do was follow the music and hope that nothing else went wrong. So in a way it was a blessing that he took matters into his own hands. Selfishly, and probably not from any consideration for James’ desires as it was made quite clear how much Black despised Lily, he dumped her unceremoniously on his best mate.

James’ presence was pressing in on her. It didn’t feel like the comfort she had come to know when he was near and she knew that he had her back. Instead, it was reminiscent of the old James pressuring her for some kind of reciprocation of his feelings. This time, however, Lily supposed it was warranted. She had, after all, broken some boundaries when she accepted dancing with him at first. Lily was confronted with a choice, perhaps without the liquid courage of two glasses of spiked punch she would have done the sensible thing and escaped. When a pair of dancers bumped into her, nudging her in James’ direction she threw levelheadedness aside.

One of two things was about to happen. He was either going to make a scene about her leaving or refuse to get a drink, or he would begrudgingly follow her to the punch bowl. Either way Lily Evans was getting herself more whiskey. The question was whether or not James Potter would prove himself to be a child or a grown man. Realistically, Lily was well aware that he lay somewhere in between but it was up to him to choose which to be in that moment. Her guilt was one thing but his petty condemnation due to misinterpretation was wholly another. One was understandable and reparable, the other Astonishment crossed James’ face at her proposal, and she very well couldn’t blame him. At words laced thickly with sarcasm, however, she raised an eyebrow.

Really James… Work with me here. It may not look like I’m trying but… well I am.

A rather irked Lily Evans pivoted and started to lead their way out of the crowd. Through the volume of the people pressing in on them Lily didn’t hear his sigh, but she could feel it on the back of her neck. He couldn’t see the eye roll that accompanied his dramatics, but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Karma paid her back for it when his hand on the small of her back sent chills up her spine. Brushing them off, Lily decided to play the part and placed a hand over his to secure it, and navigated them through the crowd.

Their commute from dance floor to drink table seemed to last forever. Finally, Lily squeezed her way up to the front of the horde of housemates mulling around the punch bowl. She reached for a cup, but was cut off by James’ arm stretching out from behind her. He adeptly grabbed cups from the both of them and filled them generously all with one hand. Lily didn’t know what to do besides be pressed against the table as James’ form enfolded her. A small voice told her to turn around, but she hushed it firmly with logic. After drinking was no time to be experimenting with her feelings. Hence, she had suffered through a dance with Sirius Black, and hence, she would stay put.

She breathed considerably easier when the kid next to her disappeared and James took his place then leaned attractively suavely on the table. Lily couldn’t even thank him for handing her the drink before he had downed half of his. She wanted to say something snarky, but for once in their relationship bit her tongue. Instead, she admitted to herself that Jams had the right idea. She took a large gulp of her drink. Turning around, Lily let the tense situation sit in the few inches between them as she scanned the room for something interesting to change the subject.

It came easily enough and she grinned as she returned James’ nudge “Yes, actually I do…”There was an awkward pause as she figured out his meaning. She stole a glance at his face and was unable to control her smile and a small laugh. “Look.” She said placing a hand on his arm and turning her head to nod in Remus’ direction.

For the last year or so Lily and Remus had spent many of these things together conspiratorially people watching. Charlotte had simply not come to the parties out of some kind of shyness or apathy for the idea. Somehow the two had found each other among all of the obnoxious, drunken party-goers. It was downright sweet, if not a welcome distraction from the tenuous situation Lily had gotten herself into.

She had to look away from him. His eyes droopy with alcohol were off-putting to her. Lily didn’t want him to say or do anything that the both of them would regret. For some reason, to her breaking eye contact was a way to prevent that.

[James Potter]

James looked down at the girl fondly as she spoke of the lies she’d had to tell the Muggles over the years to cover up her absence, although he only understood about half of what was coming out of her mouth. "Well, you’re not too far off base, telling them the lack of pictures is due to the abundance of studying," James teased before continuing curiously. "Chemistry, though? That’s taught to Muggles?" He’d heard of chemistry of course - which the two of them certainly had - but how could that be taught? And what did that have to do with potions? Cooking was a bit easier to see similarities with, but chemistry was so...innate a concept. It couldn’t be learned, it couldn’t be faked, so how could it be taught? The girl’s cheeks flushed a she admitted to only being able to cook what Mrs. Evans had taught her, but James’ look softened as she only further endeared herself to him by this. "Sure you’re a fine cook, Evans."

James sprung into song, as he had no qualms about doing if someone were to need a reminder about how grand their school was. It was foolish of Lily to seem to have more pride for the school she "attended" instead of Hogwarts. Hogwarts was literally magical. But he’d only got a few words out, obviously determined to sing the whole thing, before voices rose around him to join in. James was right pleased about that - even more so when Lily...snuggled. Into him. He was dreading the end of the song, seeing as that seemed to have prompted her closeness, but was determined to take advantage of it as long as she allowed. She’d never been like this with him, head against his heart, chest against his...his arms circled her, hands comfortably settled on her lower back as they swayed. The song finished with shouting and whoops, and he looked down to her with a grin. She hadn’t left when he made a fool of himself showed his school pride, which was a good sign...and it was so right feeling, holding her like this. She couldn’t not agree, could she? For as rowdy as the group was, their little space was simply...good. Green met hazel as she returned his gaze, but he couldn’t read her, whether it was from the drink or the girl’s own...conflicting...

Feelings?

Lily made a bit of space between them before jesting so cruelly about his standing with the team. But she was tiring of his defense, apparently - although -

"Was there actually a compliment hidden in there?" James gave her a teasing waggle of his brows, letting out a laugh. He didn’t know if he’d ever get a straight compliment out of the girl, but she did know how to keep things interesting. And if she ever did fawn over him? Merlin, would that be disorienting. Their banter was shifting, it was true, but although they were generally more pleasant with each other now, they kept a good tease. When he could put aside his pride.

~*~*~*~

He wasn’t too drunk to not be able to read that eyebrow right.

Lily wasn’t pleased with him.

But what did she expect? He’d gone years with no reciprocation - he’d tried to date other girls - but she’d accepted him tonight, had made moves, and he was supposed to be fine with her just leaving him for Sirius? Who wasn’t exactly subtle about what he thought of her? She’d rather spend time with him than himself? He couldn’t stay mad. He led them through, the smallest of smirks appearing as he felt Lily reach around to secure her hand on his. Figuring it’d be best if he just take care of this - the Head Girl hadn’t a clue what she was even drinking, after all - James reached around her out of necessity of the crowd, making them cups in his practiced way. The quiet time between them was allowing him headspace to calm down a bit, but drinking...was having...the opposite effect. She leaned next to him once space allowed it, and he was settling back into a happy haze as he started up conversation again.

The girl nudged him back, admitting to and laughing about the fact that she had found something at this party to enjoy. For one beautiful, fleeting moment in which he took a drink to cover up the emotions of, the admittedly drunken James Potter thought that the something may be himself. But Lily shortly put a guiding hand on his arm to show him what she was really interested in. James’ jaw nearly dropped at seeing Remus speaking with a girl. Not just any girl, either. Charlotte Meyers. Sure, the obvious pair was accompanied by Daisy, but this was absolutely abnormal in the best of ways. Remus was speaking with a girl outside of their group of friends. Said girl happened to be the little sister of one of their roommates of seven years. Said roommate was a bit daft and ridiculously overprotective of the younger Gryffindor.

This. Was. Huge.

With what was supposed to be but likely was not a conspiratorial whisper, James leaned towards the redhead, having difficulty resisting the impulse to fix her hair. Just a bit wasn't laying smooth, and he knew she liked to look nice - not that she ever didn't, but her put-together-ness was important to her... "Lily, Lily, Lily - we should go help," he said earnestly, grinning lopsidedly at this remarkable turn of events as he squeezed the hand she’d laid on his arm. "You know her and him, I know him - they need some ice broken, we’re great at that." Impulse overcame logic and he let go of her to deftly - given his inebriation, he was certain it was in this manner - tuck a stray lock behind her ear, his touch lingering. Realizing this moments later, or perhaps minutes, James swallowed and tucked his hand in his pocket as he waited for her answer, looking back to Remus and the girls.

[Charlotte Fudge]

As Daisy went so exuberantly on Charlotte's eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head, even as her friend took her arm and started leading her away. "It was nothing, honestly! We were just talking, Dais'!" she said in a flustered whisper, not even sure if the other girl could hear her around the racket of the room. Daisy was making too big of a deal out of this, really - so - so - so what if years of being told Remus was a good guy and that she should go after him was finally not just words in one ear and out of the other? Daisy'd told her so many great things about him, and, fine, she was seeing them more as they spoke -

But they had spoken, in all of their time sharing a House - twice.

If she was correct in remembering.

Charlotte didn't hang around Daisy with the whole group of guys, really only with Peter. Sirius and James? How would she get a word in edgewise, if she could even think of something to say? And Remus? She just - she didn't want this to get so built up by her friend and then have a great big nothing happen, as likely would, and then disappointment flood the girl's dormitory, affirmation that she wasn't with anyone because of her, not just because of the severity of Judgement-By-Cole.

...so it was a good thing that she was right in this matter. Because they were just talking. It could lead anywhere or nowhere and that was fine because it was just a conversation at a party. Simple as that. Even though as they walked over and he smiled up at them Char had a fleeting and absolutely daft vision of what it would be like to be approaching him without Daisy's push, going over to him naturally as they were a something. But that was absolutely daft.

She returned his smile and went to sit as he spoke, but her dearest friend was too quick for her, and so she was - well, not wedged, but - sitting closely between the two. 

"Yes!" she returned energetically. Where did that come from? "I mean - everything's fine, really. He's just a bit of a hothead sometimes, but I'm sure you know that just as well as I do," she said lamely, tucking her hair behind her ears. Good, good, that won't hurt at all, reminding him that he lives with your brother. "Just needs things to be put into perspective is all, prone to be a little bit of an overreactor." Literally anything else is a better topic of conversation, Charlotte. But they'd already gone back-and-forth about how neither really liked parties, and she'd already spouted all that she knew about Shakespeare from her recent diggings-up in the library, and she'd gone on about her wanting to write something meaningful one day, promising him a first edition...But books, books were safe, weren't they? She'd noticed - not that she'd been trying to, but honestly, the amount of times Daisy pointed him out - him reading quite often, so...that should be fine? "Read anything interesting lately?"

[Remus Lupin]

Charlotte sat down in between him and Daisy, and he was surprised to realize that he was pleased that Daisy had given her friend no other choice. Charlotte was almost squished between the two of them, and he scooted to give her more space, draping his arm over the back of the couch again. He was happy she was back, a feeling that he couldn't really understand.

She started to speak, and he could barely hear her over the music and the noise of the party. So he leaned forward, closing the distance between their faces so he could understand what she was saying. He nodded as she talked about Cole, very well aware of how exactly her brother could react in situations. And while it was a very good topic, considering the only thing they had in common was really her brother, he felt a tang of annoyance towards him. He'd only been talking with Charlotte. It was completely innocent.

He gave a smile as she asked him about books, glad to have a topic of conversation that was safe. "Ah well, I've read a few interesting things. Have you ever read any muggle books? They're actually quite fascinating, the stories they come up with. Especially the ones about magic." He paused, considering which books he had in his dorm that she might be interested in when he felt it.

Eyes staring at the back of his head. He turned, meeting James' gaze, suddenly aware that boy the drunk Head Boy and Girl were staring right at him and Charlotte. And while had he had never expressed interest in a girl before, he had told them about the situation at the Gryffindor table that day. So they had an idea, and right now James had that look about him that made Remus uneasy.

[Deleted]

Stop that. Stop that. Stop that. Her head pleaded with James as he looked at her. Like really looked at her. In that way he did. It drove her nuts. She couldn’t look at him when he did it.

At his joke a stone dropped in Lily’s stomach. Some piece of her, the piece that was finally living it up at a party after years, felt like she had squandered much of her time in the library. “Well…” she was a bit flustered, “I… I get a lot done.” She finally decided on. Nice come back…. It was her time to raise an eyebrow though, she had never put much thought on wizards being unaware of muggle curriculums. After all, who needed chemistry when they could whip up a potion? She laughed “Chemistry. The study of how elements react. See everything’s made up of microscopic tings called molecules that are arranged in different ways. They basically makes up everything in the universe Chemistry studies how they bond. What they create together …In the end it’s just a lot of math equations… Like arithmancy but for muggles.” She’d be lucky if his eyes didn’t glaze over. The whiskey seemed to take away her ability to monitor any kind of talking, let alone the impulse to dance.

“You’re just saying that Potter… haven’t you learned by now? Empty compliments with no evidence to back you up doesn’t go over well with me.” Not that he’d ever be privy to her remiss cooking skills. They’d never spend time eating outside of the Great Hall.

Which is precisely the only place the Hogwarts alma mater belonged. Not in this overcrowded, stuffy room with music already playing.
It seemed to last forever, leaving her trapped in James Potter’s embrace. She hoped he couldn’t detect how rapidly her heart seemed to be beating. It sped up everytime she realized it. He smelled like Quidditch. A faint whiff of sweat could be detected under the windswept smell of his skin. His shirt was slightly damp from the dancing, but so was her forehead. The warmth of his hands seemed to bleed through her shirt and his thumb brushed the bare skin between shirt and jeans. The roar of the crowd was just that. The words were inaudible under the multitude of melodies, which added to the seeming endlessness of the moment. Finally, the end of the song allowed Lily to be able to break free of that thrilling terrifying moment. She shook her head and laughed against James’ chest before pulling away. Their eyes just had to meet, wiping the smile off of Lily’s face. Her heart jolted and her stmach turned over.

We could very well kiss…

Lily bit her lip, debating it for a far longer time than she wanted to. Gryffindor courage was overthrown by Ravenclaw-like logic. Her stomach calmed once words left her throat. They were a bit forced, and she wasn’t entirely focusing on them. Her mind was left in that moment.

That almost kiss.

“Of course not…” habit of covering her tracks when saying anything nice to him kicked in. The waggle of his eyebrows was met by furrowing her own in a kind of ‘you wish’ look. “I hardly know enough about Quidditch to be able to compliment you on anything regarding it. Don’t be daft Potter.” Beloved bickering brought her out of wondering about what could have happened and propelled her back into what was happening.

~*~*~*~

What a match they were. Lily didn’t want to admit to that being in any other kind of a way except in wit and fervor. In this very moment was the culmination of the past six years. It was not the first time this year either. That irked Lily beyond measure. Well at the lake it had been on her and now it was his turn to feel what that was like.

Would he forgive her? Perhaps.

Did she care? Too much to admit.

Was anything going to stop her? Of course not.

There was only one way to keep this all moving. And that was to literally keep on moving. That could be the nervous energy talking. The dancefloor was simply too charged with a scary level of energy. Down time may be the only way to resolve these feelings. No… instead, apparently the answer was more alcohol. Well it was something to do that didn’t involve being pressed up against each… Not as fate would have it.

Once given the appropriate amount of space Lily could breath easy easier, There was a crackle of something between them, having not fully confronted what had just occurred, but it was allowed to just be right where they were. With half of James’ drink downed, Lily knew that this was not going to be easy. He was calming down, but this whole thing was a landmine. Lily glanced at the stairs, knowing that she had an out until the clean-up at the very least. But for some reason this all seemed worth it.

For whatever God forsaken reason.

It would be so easy to lean into him. Snake her arm through his. Prod her way under his arm. Have something she hadn’t had for a very long time. Instead, she froze herself in place. Tomorrow morning and the next year were not times of regret she wanted to have. To keep herself from looking at him as long as possible she had been glancing around the room. Pointing out her discovery, however, seemed to be as big of a mistake as dancing with Sirius.

Lily clearly couldn’t gauge the reactions of any marauder as flawlessly as she had once thought she could.

Intuitively, Lily’s hand raised to cup the sound of James’ voice in her ear. Her fingers brushed his bristly cheek as she did so. Thankfully, he seemed to be in full-on puppy mode over something that wasn’t her. “James…” she answered his whisper sternly, but with enough laughter in her voice to not sound as reprimanding as she should to stop him. Suddenly she was the only protector of what little privacy Remus had in the crowded common room. Knowing that there were more than a few eyes keeping track of her and Potter she was wildly aware of how Remus must be feeling.

Their eyes met across the room as he caught the hardly nuanced glances of one of his best mates.

“No… we really shouldn’t” Lily met James’ earnest insistence with a bit of her own and turned her hand over in his and wove their fingers together. In that moment she also met his eyes. The mischievous glint in them pulled at her heart strings. There was that little boy she had despised, but now… There was a sort of affection swelling in her heart at that grin. As if the prick he could somehow sense that his fingers had slipped out of hers and were deftly tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, as if he possessed practice doing so. She never broke eye contact as she mentally pushed away everything rushing to the forefront. Keeping Remus and Char out of the predicament that was James' Potter seemed a worthy enough cause to be able to ignore somewhat hush those tingly feelings he had caused.

“Yes and I know you…" All too well perhaps, "And your manner of helping is anything but useful with them.”  There was no guarantee that words would work. Lily half expected him to start tugging her through the throng at any moment. “We’re good at breaking things that’s for sure… but look at them…” This time she looked at Charlotte. She rarely seemed comfortable around many people, even her closest friends sometimes, and here in this setting Lily hardly expected her to be as natural and calm as she clearly was talking to Remus.

“The ice has clearly already been broken.” There was no space for James let alone the Evans-Potter antics currently unfolding. Lily braced herself for James’ next move. He was unpredictable at best sober. There was no knowing what could happen…