Disclaimer: None of these events ever happened, Lily, the Marauders, and the teachers aren’t mine, and Hogwarts belongs solely to Jo Rowling.
“Lily! Are you ready?”
Elisha’s voice rang out from outside the girls’ dormitory. It was the night of the ball, and Lily had asked them to stand outside while she dressed to create more suspense. The girls had reluctantly agreed.
“No, not yet!” she called.
Lily examined herself in the mirror. She had applied a thin layer of lip gloss and just enough mascara to make her eyes shine. There was also a spell she had discovered that would make her light red hair silky smooth, and it was falling loosely and elegantly.
But her dress was the main attraction. It was a light green satin that very nearly matched her eyes. There were two inch-wide straps to hold her dress on her shoulders; part of the back was exposed, but it was still very modest. At the bottom of the cut back portion was a bow, and, beneath the bow, a long line of fake buttons that ran all the way down.
Lily nodded at her reflection. Yes, she thought, James should be pleased.
Then she considered that earlier that month, she would’ve said, My friends will be very pleased. She hadn’t cared much about what James would’ve thought, but now she had grown very close to her dance partner, and was very excited about the upcoming night.
“Lily! It’s almost time to go!”
It was Alena this time, so Lily finally decided to get her friends’ approval, even though it was a little late for that. She took a deep breath, and walked into the Common Room.
The room grew suddenly quiet, and in a few seconds everyone was staring at the new arrival. Even Alena, Janice, and Elisha couldn’t find words to say.
Lily realized that the girls were staring at her. She began to blush and said with uncertainty, “Umm, I guess we’d better go, shouldn’t we?”
The remaining girls started talking again, and most of them headed for the Great Hall to meet their partners. Those who didn’t go continued admiring Lily’s gown, but eventually realized that their partners were waiting, and made for the Portrait Hole.
Lily’s three friends were still staring at Lily, and finally Janice managed, “It’s beautiful!”
The other two nodded, and, with the uncomfortable silence broken, the foursome struck up a conversation and walked down the stairs to the Great Hall.
In the Great Hall, couples were standing together and waiting for the music to begin. James, however, was still waiting for Lily, and the other Marauders for Alena, Janice, and Elisha.
But they couldn’t ignore the whispers between the couples already present.
“Did you hear about that girl who’s supposedly the most beautiful here?”
“A Gryffindor, they said.”
“Yeah, some of my friends were just talking about her. In a green dress, isn’t she?”
“It’s not just a dress! I saw her, and it’s a genuine ball gown! The loveliest thing I’ve ever seen!”
“Is that her over there? The girl who just entered the Hall?”
Many heads turned toward the entrance, including the Marauders’. They recognized Elisha in her light blue, Janice in her turquoise, and Alena in her pastel pink.
The other girl, however, made James’s heart flip-flop:
Lily.
“Have you noticed that it’s gone quiet again?” Lily whispered to her friends.
“They’re watching like they did in Common Room,” Janice observed, “they think you’re beautiful.”
The people in the Hall soon began whispering again.
“Is that Lily Evans?”
“The Muggle-born and Head Girl?”
“Look at how wonderful her hair is!”
“Her hair? What about her gown? It’s perfect!”
“I wish she were my partner….”
Then everyone grew silent again as James Potter walked up to greet Lily. He reached for her hand and lightly kissed it, and then led her to the edge of the dance floor. Their friends followed suit.
Professor Dumbledore took the opportunity to say a few words.
“Welcome, seventh-years, to the annual Hogwarts Formal!”
There was much applause, and all attention shifted to the headmaster.
“I’m very delighted to see all the handsome young men and lovely young ladies here for an evening of celebration! You can begin the night however you wish, just flow with the music!”
Cheers rang out through the crowd, and as the band began a slow but happy song, the couples moved in to the center. James led Lily to a spot near the outside of the circle, and the two started swaying together.
James soon asked in amazement, “How did you find such a wonderful gown?”
Lily smiled. “You like it?”
“I love it!” he exclaimed. “How did you do it?”
“Simple: I looked through the catalog, found a style I liked, and chose the color.”
“But…Lily, it’s perfect.”
Lily blushed at the compliment, and whispered, “Thank you.”
“There’s just one problem,” James said with a frown, and took his hands away from her waist.
Lily looked startled and hesitantly brought her hands to her side. “What’s wrong with it?”
“There are just too many boys watching you and too many girls envying you,” he said with most seriousness. “I think we might have to continue this dance outside.”
Lily laughed and allowed James to lead her away from the Great Hall and through the doors to the outside.
“You know, many girls were saying that your dress is green,” James said out of nowhere.
“Well, isn’t it?” Lily asked with surprise, fingering the material.
“If you’re being general, it is,” James answered, “but green is not nearly the right color.”
James walked ahead as if pondering the issue, and Lily waited expectantly. James suddenly whirled around, pointed his finger at Lily’s dress, and exclaimed, “I’ve got it!”
Lily listened to him with amusement, which soon became wonder.
“It’s the soft green of a lily pad as it floats down a glassy river,” he began softly, poetically. “But this lily pad is special, for it carries the most beautiful flower of all: the lily.
“As it is rushed downstream,” he continued excitedly, “many young men watch it and chase after it, hoping to catch that wonderful flower for their own. Then one finally takes a chance, and, after many attempts to catch her, he lifts her up to tell her of her beauty”” he paused, suddenly laughing “”and how much she’s blushing at this description!”
Lily had turned beet red, but joined in the laughter, stopping long enough to say, “Is that all, James?” and then erupting into giggles again.
James placed his hand under her chin and lifted it up, and Lily’s laughing ended.
“It matches your eyes too,” he whispered, “those beautiful emeralds.”
James took Lily into his arms, and she sighed with contentment.
“You know that I love you, Lily,” James told her softly.
“Well, I kind of figured,” Lily said playfully.
"Oh, hey, I've got something for you." James let go of her and began searching through his pockets. He pulled out a small square box. Lily's heart fluttered, but somehow she knew that he wasn't going to make a proposal. Instead, he opened it and pulled out a beautiful lily necklace. The petals glistened like diamonds.
"Lily," he said slowly, "I love you very much. I don't know what the future will bring, but will you consider someday being my one and only? Not now, of course, but in the near future?"
Lily stared at him and the necklace, then whispered, "Yes, James. With all my heart."
James carefully clasped the necklace around her neck, then drew her closer to himself. The two laughed and kissed and thoroughly enjoyed one another's company. Eventually, though, Sirius and Janice came out and said, “Hey, I hate to break the two of you up, but they’re doing a Head Students’ waltz, so you’d better come inside.”
James and Lily threw annoyed glances at the two and then gazed at each other. She said, “Sure,” and he answered, “Whatever,” and the four made their way inside, Lily and James walking hand in hand and feeling truly happy.
A/N This is the end, and I hope you all are happy with it! As usual, reviews, please! If you want, you could tell me your favorite character and your favorite part of the story. Thanks a lot guys!
By the way, I may submit a new story soon. It’ll be a lot longer than this one and start at the beginning of their first year, so if you liked this one, please look out for me! Thanks!
Yes, No, Sure, Whatever by violagirl
Chapter Notes: The end-of-year ball is finally here! That also means that this is the end of my story. We all know what happens in the very end, so after this night comes the many fantasies of what could happen between Lily and James before their death.