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girlyswotThat Marauders Era Fic
A/N – This fic is dedicated to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kelleypen whose request was ‘Marauders Era.’ The fic is loosely based on an episode from the first season of That ‘70s Show -- hence the title. I was afraid to tip my hand, so didn’t ask many questions that needed asking on the All things 70s and All things British threads on the ‘quill – so that’s my excuse for any blatant errors : p Happy Holidays Kelley – and everyone else who needs this.
Lily wished all the Prefects a happy and safe Holiday at the end of the meeting and they started filtering out to the Great Hall for dinner. James waved Remus ahead and lingered as Lily collected her books. Working together all term as Head Boy and Girl had slowly put them on more than amiable terms, even to the point of sharing a round of butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks during the last Hogsmeade weekend. James couldn’t deny he wanted more, but had refrained from his former tactics of haranguing Lily to go out with him. Lately, however, he could swear she was encouraging him in that way birds had – touching his arm when he didn’t need to, laughing at his jokes, and even cheering much more enthusiastically than he remembered at the first Quidditch match of the year.
If she hadn’t been Lily Evans, he would have sworn she was flirting, and he decided to find out once and for all if he could ever stand a chance with her.
After everyone had cleared out, Lily smiled at him.
Taking it as a small sign of encouragement, James pushed his glasses up and asked, “Do you want to go down for dinner?”
She shook her head. “My dorm mates are bringing some things up and we’re going to exchange gifts and share biscuits from home.”
“Oh.” James shifted his weight a bit. “Well…I’ll walk with you up to Gryffindor tower, then.”
Lily raised her eyebrows at him. “Aren’t you hungry?”
James tried to shrug casually. “Not right now. I can always nick some food from the kitchens later.”
Lily tutted as they moved together out into the corridor. “James, you’re Head Boy now. You ought not be nicking food.”
“Come on, you’ve been down there.” She had. James had taken Lily on a tour of some of the secret passages within the Castle once they were named Head Boy and Girl, despite Padfoot’s strong objections. She still didn’t know about any passages that led to Hogsmeade or the Map, which Peter had lost to Argus Filch last year anyway, but sharing his knowledge of the inner workings of Hogwarts had gone a long way towards building her trust at the beginning of the year. “The elves just hand it to you down there. It’s not really stealing. I guess I just say that out of habit. I won’t even go down after curfew.” He held up his hand as if to swear.
She twisted her mouth in amusement. “I guess this year has been hard on you having to set a good example all the time. You must be looking forward to the Holidays so you can cut loose and be yourself.”
“I’m being myself!” James objected with exaggerated affront. “But Sirius and I are going to have a good time. He’s just inherited some gold and he’s going to hunt for a flat of his own. Mum and Dad won’t let him go ‘til after Christmas, though – they want to make sure he’s not alone on the Holiday.”
Lily nodded. “Your parents sound very nice.”
“They’re ok.” Better than ok, really, James thought – but it wasn’t cool to gush about one’s parents. “How about you, Evans? Do you have big plans for the Holidays?”
“Well, we’re just having a family Christmas at home like usual, but after that… There’s a Disco that’s opened up near my hometown and I’m hoping that now that I’m of age my parents will let me go. Pet and her boyfriend went and said it was terrible, so I’m sure that means it’s quite fun.”
James had to laugh at the derisive reference to her sister.
Lily smiled. “I don’t suppose you would be interested in meeting me there?”
James stopped sniggering instantly and gaped at her. Did Lily Evans just ask him out? “I…erm…I would like to. I mean, we’ll probably be in town anyway.”
“Oh, of course, you can bring Sirius along. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to ditch your best mate.”
Oh. James tried to calm his racing heart. She wasn’t asking him out – she was arranging a group thing. “I guess it would help if I knew what a ‘disco’ was.”
Lily giggled. “Oh right. Disco is a lot of things – it’s a kind of Muggle music that’s popular right now – and also what they call dance clubs that play that sort of music.”
Oh no. “A Muggle dance club?” James asked, hating how that sounded.
“Dancing is Dancing, Potter,” Lily said tartly.
“But this music…”
“And music is music.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Well sure…but is it music like The Stoned Philosophers or is it more like Celestina Warbeck?”
Lily’s defensive posture faltered and she bit her lip.
“Aha!” James declared. “It’s that Celestina Warbeck tripe, isn’t it?”
“No!” she denied a bit too vehemently. Then she backpedaled. “That is – I don’t think it’s like that…but I know some…well…ordinary boys aren’t too keen on it.”
“You don’t say.” James smirked.
Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. “Look, I’ll loan you an album. Do you have a way to listen to Muggle music?”
James nodded. “Remus has a charmed phonograph.”
She nodded. “Then you can decide for yourself. I hope you’ll think about it. It might be fun.”
She smiled up at him, her green eyes filtering through flame colored lashes. James felt his heart leap into overdrive again. He knew it didn’t matter what the music sounded like, an army of Death Eaters couldn’t keep him away from that dance club if Lily Evans wanted him there.
*~*~*
It didn’t matter what the music sounded like, but he took the album up to his dorm room and listened to it anyway. He wanted to be prepared.
It wasn’t specifically bad. James didn’t know much about music, and even less about dance music, so he couldn’t articulate exactly what it was about Disco that he didn’t like.
“What is that foul noise?” Sirius asked when he burst into the room followed by Remus and Peter.
“It’s called Disco,” James said miserably.
Sirius cocked his head and turned to Remus, a silent, inquiring eyebrow raised.
“Muggle music,” Remus provided.
“Muggles invented this? Are you sure? It’s vile – it’s got to be some evil invention of Voldemort’s don’t you think?”
“Too upbeat,” Remus countered. “Muggles dance to it.”
Sirius narrowed his eyes at James. “Prongs, why are you listening to Muggle dance music instead of enjoying dinner with us?”
James rifled his fingers through his hair in agony. “Lily invited me to go to some Muggle club that plays this stuff over the hols.”
Remus and Peter nodded sympathetically, but Sirius burst out with his trademark barking laugh.
“Evans asked you to a Muggle dance club? Oh, Prongs, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going. I have to go.” James looked at the other Marauders for confirmation. They nodded at him. “You’ve got to come with me, Padfoot.”
Sirius raised his eyebrows at James. “Moi? You want me to spend an evening listening to that evil tripe and watch you make a fool over yourself for Evans?”
Peter edged closer to the phonograph and looked at it thoughtfully. “Where is this club?”
Three pairs of eyes looked at him questioningly.
He shrugged sheepishly. “My squib auntie is trying to set me up with her neighbor girl. If I do it, I need someplace Muggle to go.”
“Squib Auntie?” Sirius cracked. “Does being a squib run in your family or something, Wormtail?”
Sirius neatly dodged the ink bottle Peter launched at him. Remus moved over to the four posters and started siphoning off the spilled ink with his wand.
“Well, if Wormy here’s going, maybe we can all go. Moony, do you think your folks will let you out with us for one night of the hols?” Sirius asked, apparently warming to the idea.
Remus’s back was to them as he continued his cleaning. “Even if I could convince them, I don’t think I’ll be up for it what with the full moon on Christmas this year.”
Sirius cast James a half-annoyed, half-concerned look. James forgot about his romantic troubles and returned at least the concerned sentiment.
“We’re not going on Christmas, Moony! Or even Boxing Day, for that matter,” Sirius cast James a quick confirming glance.
James nodded. “We’re likely to go the next Friday or Saturday night – that’s almost a whole week of recovery.”
“I don’t know,” Remus hedged, sitting down on his bed and putting his face in his hands.
“You’ve got to come, Moony,” Sirius urged. “It’s Prongs -- at a Muggle dance club.” Sirius waggled his eyebrows.
Remus started to grin through his hands. “Well, when you put it that way…”
*~*~*
Lily arrived at the Disco first and scoped out a table near the dance floor. She was beginning to worry that she might have to Confund people away from the chairs she was saving when James and his entire gang walked in. She felt a momentary flicker of annoyance to see a girl with them until she remembered James had mentioned that Peter might be bringing somebody. Of course, judging by the girl’s posture, she was much more interested in gaining Sirius’s attention. That sort of thing was only made bearable by Sirius’s obvious disinterest.
Not that any of that mattered. Lily’s eyes rested on James, who was scanning the dance floor anxiously. Lily thought she might have to make an obvious fool of herself and wave madly to gain his attention, but before she had time to seriously consider that option, his eyes met hers. She was able to get away with a friendly smile and subdued wave. James smiled back, her favorite one, a bit lopsided and completely void of arrogance. She could even swear that he might have pulled a comb through his hair, not that it had done any good.
“Hey,” James smiled at her again when he reached the table. “Sorry we’re late. Peter brought the Muggle girl, so we couldn’t just Apparate to the alley.”
“You’re not late.” Lily gestured for them to sit down. “I wanted to get a good table. It’s great, isn’t it? Right by the dance floor.”
“Yeah, great.” Either James was completely oblivious, or Lily’s hopeful look was far more subtle than she thought, because he merely sat down, as did Sirius and Remus.
Peter had dragged his date directly to the dance floor, probably in an effort to divert her attention from Sirius. But the attention Peter was drawing was hardly positive. The petite, dark-haired girl he brought gave him an increasingly wider berth as he jerked and writhed about the floor with moves that Lily didn’t think could even be loosely interpreted as dancing in either the Muggle or Wizarding world.
Finally, the girl edged her way back to the table and sat in the chair next to Lily. “Hi, I’m Margot.”
“Lily.” They shook hands.
“Is he always like this, do you know?” Margot asked, looking askance at the dance floor.
“I…erm…don’t think he gets out much.” Lily hoped that was diplomatic.
Margot nodded. “His aunt said he was a nice boy. I should have figured…”
Lily wasn’t sure what Margot should have figured, as Peter arrived at the table breathless from his exertions.
“Hey, Margot, where’d you go?”
She smiled stiffly. “I was tired, and I wanted to introduce myself to your friend.”
“Oh. Well, I guess we can sit one out.” Peter looked around and realizing that the only other empty seat was on the other side of the table, fumbled dejectedly over to it.
Remus was watching the dance floor with interest. “Lily, is what they’re doing now supposed to be disco dancing?”
Lily looked at the dance floor, and then nodded back at Remus. “Of course.”
“It looks like the samba,” he commented.
Margot reeled on him as if just noticing he was there. “You know how to dance?”
Remus eyed her nervously. “Erm…my mother taught at a dance school for a while.”
Margot edged her seat closer to his and leaned toward him. “And she taught you as well?”
“Yes…” Remus looked over at Peter, who was sullenly staring into one of the drinks Sirius had procured for everyone. “Would you like to da…?”
Margot didn’t even let Remus get the word out before she was dragging him onto the floor.
However reluctant he may have been, once on the floor with a partner, Remus was…
“Hey! Moony can actually dance!” James exclaimed brightly.
He was; Lily had to agree. Remus guided Margot around the dance floor expertly. Lily could see him eyeing the other dancers and picking up embellishments along the way.
“I’m so glad I talked him into coming,” Sirius said smugly as Remus performed an intricate lift and spin.
James was beaming proudly at his friend on the dance floor. “That’s just amazing! He’s really good.”
“If you like dancing like that,” Peter said bitterly.
“I would love to dance like that,” Lily sighed loudly.
James shifted in his chair, but remained otherwise oblivious.
Lily could see that her plaintive cry had been heard by some boys at nearby table as one of them was looking at her with an unfortunate lecherous expression. She was wondering what she could safely hex him with in this public area if he actually approached her when the most unexpected thing of the night happened.
“Do you want to dance?” Sirius Black was standing in front of her with his hand out.
“Erm…”
He grinned at her. “I don’t bite.”
Lily looked at James out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t seem overly alarmed. “Ok.”
If Remus was good, then Sirius was better. Like everything else he did, he danced with polish and confidence. Lily had the disconcerting impression that he was in complete control of not only what they were doing, but of where everyone else was going on the dance floor.
“You can dance – this is a new side of Sirius Black,” she teased.
“Mother said that being able to dance was one of the earmarks of good breeding.” Sirius’s tone had a trace of bitterness amongst the sarcasm. “That’s one of the reasons I almost never do it.”
“Well, in that case, I’m honored you would make an exception in my case,” Lily said.
Sirius’s gray eyes suddenly became very intense. “Of course, Lily.”
Since he almost always called her ‘Evans,’ Lily felt a small jolt of surprise at the sound of his voice saying her name. Then he set her even more off balance by turning her into a dip.
When she caught her breath, Lily realized that she was being treated to the full extent of Sirius Black’s charm. Suddenly it was much clearer what caught Margot’s eye – not to mention more than half the girls at Hogwarts.
Even so, Lily scowled at him and hissed. “What are you doing?”
“The question is, my dear Evans, what are you doing?” Sirius straightened them out and continued dancing.
“What?” Lily blinked at him, confused.
“What are your intentions with our boy, James?” Sirius asked.
“My…intentions?” Lily might have laughed, but something in Sirius’s expression told her that he wasn’t joking.
“Did you ask him to this place for a reason, or are you just looking for someone who will dance with you?” He jerked his head meaningfully towards where Remus was dancing with Peter’s Muggle.
“Oh!” Lily suddenly felt a flush coming up her neck. “I…” She looked at Sirius, unsure of how capable or comfortable she was with answering his question. “I think that when this song ends, you had better take me back to the table. I’m done dancing.”
That seemed to satisfy him. He grinned at her. “In that case, let’s make the most of this one. Shut up and dance.”
*~*~*
Peter and Margot departed first, the latter reluctantly, but she had a curfew and was dependent on Peter and his borrowed Muggle automobile for transportation. Somehow it was established that James would see Lily home and Remus and Sirius were left alone at the table.
“I think you’re right that Disco is evil,” speculated Remus, who had suffered an angry glare from Peter before the latter departed.
“It’s evil, all right – but it’s a Muggle evil. I can almost understand why my family hates Muggles so much sitting here.” Sirius cracked.
“Peter’s my friend. I could never steal his girl,” Remus said earnestly.
A bit too earnestly. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.
Remus grinned. “Actually, I could steal his girl. But I wouldn’t do that.”
Sirius laughed. “You’re a good mate, Moony.”
“And what about you?”
“I?” Sirius pointed at himself with mock innocence.
“You were sort-of pouring it on out there.”
“And yet she resisted.” Sirius leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “You know, Moony, I think Evans might actually care for our little Prongsie.”
Remus nodded. “I thought it might be something like that.”
“You did, eh? Well, what do you say we break a few Muggle girls’ hearts before we leave this foul den of wickedness? The birds at the table across the floor have been trying to get your attention ever since Peter and his little friend left.”
“Really?” Remus asked, looking over the floor with skepticism and interest.
“Sure,” Sirius said, urging Remus to his feet.
“Let’s say we go give them a thrill…”
*~*~*
Lily’s home was in a neat row of Muggle houses and looked pristine and safe. Between that and the fact that Lily was more than capable with her own wand, James felt ridiculously redundant in the escort department, but still walked her up the three little steps to her front door.
“So…erm…how about that both Remus and Sirius dancing?” James asked with a nervous smile.
Lily smiled back. “Yes, that was quite a surprise.”
“I…hope you… I mean…it seemed like you had a good time.” James stammered.
“Oh yes!” Lily confirmed enthusiastically. “It was fun. Not the least bit horrid like Pet said.”
James gave a half laugh and nodded.
“James?” Lily asked tentatively. “Did you have a good time?”
Her expression told him that she didn’t expect him to answer positively. James didn’t know how to explain to her. “Well…I…I guess I just still don’t get the music. I mean what is ‘Hot Stuff’ and why does she want it? It’s not really my thing.”
“But I gave you that album so that you would know what it would be like. If you didn’t like it, why did you come?” Lily seemed somehow disappointed.
James looked at her and wondered how, after all these years, she could not know the answer to that question. “Because I like you.”
She blinked her green eyes at him. “So…you’re in like with me?”
“Lily, I…” James couldn’t resist that gaze any longer. He had no words to answer her question, so instead he just put his hands on either side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss.
It was a bit more abrupt than he might have liked. But he was so astonished at his own presumption that he pulled away just before he realized that she was responding to him as opposed to pushing him away.
“James…” she started.
“Lily, I can’t dance,” he blurted his confession before he lost his nerve.
Whatever she had started to say was lost at this revelation. She looked like she was about to laugh. “But, James, you’re so agile and athletic on a broom.”
The idea that she was paying attention to his flying allowed him to smile a bit when he admitted, “It’s rhythm. I have none.”
“Well, you can learn that,” she told him.
He shook his head. “Mum’s tried for years.”
She stepped closer to him and positioned his right hand in the small of her back. “Trust me when I say that I can teach you to have rhythm.”
James very nearly groaned. “Lily, I really just want to kiss you again.”
She smiled coyly. “Consider that motivation.”
“Lily.” James pleaded.
“I want some hot stuff, baby this evening,” she sang quietly as she began to move her body.
James had no choice but to clumsily try and follow her moves. Soon they were both singing those crazy lyrics laughingly and dancing more like Peter when the lights on the house flickered.
“Oh!” Lily exclaimed with a giggle. “I have to go in. We’ll just have to continue these lessons back at Hogwarts.”
“Back at Hogwarts?” James’s heart leapt. “Lily…?”
“Yes,” she said firmly.
“Yes?” James wasn’t sure what she meant.
“Just, yes.” She smiled.
James grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back, but the house lights flickered again and she slipped away and inside the door.
Yes
James wasn’t entirely sure he knew what the question was, but he felt a wild surge of joy that he knew the answer.
Yes.
A/N – This fic is dedicated to
kelleypen whose request was ‘Marauders Era.’ The fic is loosely based on an episode from the first season of That ‘70s Show -- hence the title. I was afraid to tip my hand, so didn’t ask many questions that needed asking on the All things 70s and All things British threads on the ‘quill – so that’s my excuse for any blatant errors : p Happy Holidays Kelley – and everyone else who needs this. Lily wished all the Prefects a happy and safe Holiday at the end of the meeting and they started filtering out to the Great Hall for dinner. James waved Remus ahead and lingered as Lily collected her books. Working together all term as Head Boy and Girl had slowly put them on more than amiable terms, even to the point of sharing a round of butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks during the last Hogsmeade weekend. James couldn’t deny he wanted more, but had refrained from his former tactics of haranguing Lily to go out with him. Lately, however, he could swear she was encouraging him in that way birds had – touching his arm when he didn’t need to, laughing at his jokes, and even cheering much more enthusiastically than he remembered at the first Quidditch match of the year.
If she hadn’t been Lily Evans, he would have sworn she was flirting, and he decided to find out once and for all if he could ever stand a chance with her.
After everyone had cleared out, Lily smiled at him.
Taking it as a small sign of encouragement, James pushed his glasses up and asked, “Do you want to go down for dinner?”
She shook her head. “My dorm mates are bringing some things up and we’re going to exchange gifts and share biscuits from home.”
“Oh.” James shifted his weight a bit. “Well…I’ll walk with you up to Gryffindor tower, then.”
Lily raised her eyebrows at him. “Aren’t you hungry?”
James tried to shrug casually. “Not right now. I can always nick some food from the kitchens later.”
Lily tutted as they moved together out into the corridor. “James, you’re Head Boy now. You ought not be nicking food.”
“Come on, you’ve been down there.” She had. James had taken Lily on a tour of some of the secret passages within the Castle once they were named Head Boy and Girl, despite Padfoot’s strong objections. She still didn’t know about any passages that led to Hogsmeade or the Map, which Peter had lost to Argus Filch last year anyway, but sharing his knowledge of the inner workings of Hogwarts had gone a long way towards building her trust at the beginning of the year. “The elves just hand it to you down there. It’s not really stealing. I guess I just say that out of habit. I won’t even go down after curfew.” He held up his hand as if to swear.
She twisted her mouth in amusement. “I guess this year has been hard on you having to set a good example all the time. You must be looking forward to the Holidays so you can cut loose and be yourself.”
“I’m being myself!” James objected with exaggerated affront. “But Sirius and I are going to have a good time. He’s just inherited some gold and he’s going to hunt for a flat of his own. Mum and Dad won’t let him go ‘til after Christmas, though – they want to make sure he’s not alone on the Holiday.”
Lily nodded. “Your parents sound very nice.”
“They’re ok.” Better than ok, really, James thought – but it wasn’t cool to gush about one’s parents. “How about you, Evans? Do you have big plans for the Holidays?”
“Well, we’re just having a family Christmas at home like usual, but after that… There’s a Disco that’s opened up near my hometown and I’m hoping that now that I’m of age my parents will let me go. Pet and her boyfriend went and said it was terrible, so I’m sure that means it’s quite fun.”
James had to laugh at the derisive reference to her sister.
Lily smiled. “I don’t suppose you would be interested in meeting me there?”
James stopped sniggering instantly and gaped at her. Did Lily Evans just ask him out? “I…erm…I would like to. I mean, we’ll probably be in town anyway.”
“Oh, of course, you can bring Sirius along. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to ditch your best mate.”
Oh. James tried to calm his racing heart. She wasn’t asking him out – she was arranging a group thing. “I guess it would help if I knew what a ‘disco’ was.”
Lily giggled. “Oh right. Disco is a lot of things – it’s a kind of Muggle music that’s popular right now – and also what they call dance clubs that play that sort of music.”
Oh no. “A Muggle dance club?” James asked, hating how that sounded.
“Dancing is Dancing, Potter,” Lily said tartly.
“But this music…”
“And music is music.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Well sure…but is it music like The Stoned Philosophers or is it more like Celestina Warbeck?”
Lily’s defensive posture faltered and she bit her lip.
“Aha!” James declared. “It’s that Celestina Warbeck tripe, isn’t it?”
“No!” she denied a bit too vehemently. Then she backpedaled. “That is – I don’t think it’s like that…but I know some…well…ordinary boys aren’t too keen on it.”
“You don’t say.” James smirked.
Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. “Look, I’ll loan you an album. Do you have a way to listen to Muggle music?”
James nodded. “Remus has a charmed phonograph.”
She nodded. “Then you can decide for yourself. I hope you’ll think about it. It might be fun.”
She smiled up at him, her green eyes filtering through flame colored lashes. James felt his heart leap into overdrive again. He knew it didn’t matter what the music sounded like, an army of Death Eaters couldn’t keep him away from that dance club if Lily Evans wanted him there.
*~*~*
It didn’t matter what the music sounded like, but he took the album up to his dorm room and listened to it anyway. He wanted to be prepared.
It wasn’t specifically bad. James didn’t know much about music, and even less about dance music, so he couldn’t articulate exactly what it was about Disco that he didn’t like.
“What is that foul noise?” Sirius asked when he burst into the room followed by Remus and Peter.
“It’s called Disco,” James said miserably.
Sirius cocked his head and turned to Remus, a silent, inquiring eyebrow raised.
“Muggle music,” Remus provided.
“Muggles invented this? Are you sure? It’s vile – it’s got to be some evil invention of Voldemort’s don’t you think?”
“Too upbeat,” Remus countered. “Muggles dance to it.”
Sirius narrowed his eyes at James. “Prongs, why are you listening to Muggle dance music instead of enjoying dinner with us?”
James rifled his fingers through his hair in agony. “Lily invited me to go to some Muggle club that plays this stuff over the hols.”
Remus and Peter nodded sympathetically, but Sirius burst out with his trademark barking laugh.
“Evans asked you to a Muggle dance club? Oh, Prongs, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going. I have to go.” James looked at the other Marauders for confirmation. They nodded at him. “You’ve got to come with me, Padfoot.”
Sirius raised his eyebrows at James. “Moi? You want me to spend an evening listening to that evil tripe and watch you make a fool over yourself for Evans?”
Peter edged closer to the phonograph and looked at it thoughtfully. “Where is this club?”
Three pairs of eyes looked at him questioningly.
He shrugged sheepishly. “My squib auntie is trying to set me up with her neighbor girl. If I do it, I need someplace Muggle to go.”
“Squib Auntie?” Sirius cracked. “Does being a squib run in your family or something, Wormtail?”
Sirius neatly dodged the ink bottle Peter launched at him. Remus moved over to the four posters and started siphoning off the spilled ink with his wand.
“Well, if Wormy here’s going, maybe we can all go. Moony, do you think your folks will let you out with us for one night of the hols?” Sirius asked, apparently warming to the idea.
Remus’s back was to them as he continued his cleaning. “Even if I could convince them, I don’t think I’ll be up for it what with the full moon on Christmas this year.”
Sirius cast James a half-annoyed, half-concerned look. James forgot about his romantic troubles and returned at least the concerned sentiment.
“We’re not going on Christmas, Moony! Or even Boxing Day, for that matter,” Sirius cast James a quick confirming glance.
James nodded. “We’re likely to go the next Friday or Saturday night – that’s almost a whole week of recovery.”
“I don’t know,” Remus hedged, sitting down on his bed and putting his face in his hands.
“You’ve got to come, Moony,” Sirius urged. “It’s Prongs -- at a Muggle dance club.” Sirius waggled his eyebrows.
Remus started to grin through his hands. “Well, when you put it that way…”
*~*~*
Lily arrived at the Disco first and scoped out a table near the dance floor. She was beginning to worry that she might have to Confund people away from the chairs she was saving when James and his entire gang walked in. She felt a momentary flicker of annoyance to see a girl with them until she remembered James had mentioned that Peter might be bringing somebody. Of course, judging by the girl’s posture, she was much more interested in gaining Sirius’s attention. That sort of thing was only made bearable by Sirius’s obvious disinterest.
Not that any of that mattered. Lily’s eyes rested on James, who was scanning the dance floor anxiously. Lily thought she might have to make an obvious fool of herself and wave madly to gain his attention, but before she had time to seriously consider that option, his eyes met hers. She was able to get away with a friendly smile and subdued wave. James smiled back, her favorite one, a bit lopsided and completely void of arrogance. She could even swear that he might have pulled a comb through his hair, not that it had done any good.
“Hey,” James smiled at her again when he reached the table. “Sorry we’re late. Peter brought the Muggle girl, so we couldn’t just Apparate to the alley.”
“You’re not late.” Lily gestured for them to sit down. “I wanted to get a good table. It’s great, isn’t it? Right by the dance floor.”
“Yeah, great.” Either James was completely oblivious, or Lily’s hopeful look was far more subtle than she thought, because he merely sat down, as did Sirius and Remus.
Peter had dragged his date directly to the dance floor, probably in an effort to divert her attention from Sirius. But the attention Peter was drawing was hardly positive. The petite, dark-haired girl he brought gave him an increasingly wider berth as he jerked and writhed about the floor with moves that Lily didn’t think could even be loosely interpreted as dancing in either the Muggle or Wizarding world.
Finally, the girl edged her way back to the table and sat in the chair next to Lily. “Hi, I’m Margot.”
“Lily.” They shook hands.
“Is he always like this, do you know?” Margot asked, looking askance at the dance floor.
“I…erm…don’t think he gets out much.” Lily hoped that was diplomatic.
Margot nodded. “His aunt said he was a nice boy. I should have figured…”
Lily wasn’t sure what Margot should have figured, as Peter arrived at the table breathless from his exertions.
“Hey, Margot, where’d you go?”
She smiled stiffly. “I was tired, and I wanted to introduce myself to your friend.”
“Oh. Well, I guess we can sit one out.” Peter looked around and realizing that the only other empty seat was on the other side of the table, fumbled dejectedly over to it.
Remus was watching the dance floor with interest. “Lily, is what they’re doing now supposed to be disco dancing?”
Lily looked at the dance floor, and then nodded back at Remus. “Of course.”
“It looks like the samba,” he commented.
Margot reeled on him as if just noticing he was there. “You know how to dance?”
Remus eyed her nervously. “Erm…my mother taught at a dance school for a while.”
Margot edged her seat closer to his and leaned toward him. “And she taught you as well?”
“Yes…” Remus looked over at Peter, who was sullenly staring into one of the drinks Sirius had procured for everyone. “Would you like to da…?”
Margot didn’t even let Remus get the word out before she was dragging him onto the floor.
However reluctant he may have been, once on the floor with a partner, Remus was…
“Hey! Moony can actually dance!” James exclaimed brightly.
He was; Lily had to agree. Remus guided Margot around the dance floor expertly. Lily could see him eyeing the other dancers and picking up embellishments along the way.
“I’m so glad I talked him into coming,” Sirius said smugly as Remus performed an intricate lift and spin.
James was beaming proudly at his friend on the dance floor. “That’s just amazing! He’s really good.”
“If you like dancing like that,” Peter said bitterly.
“I would love to dance like that,” Lily sighed loudly.
James shifted in his chair, but remained otherwise oblivious.
Lily could see that her plaintive cry had been heard by some boys at nearby table as one of them was looking at her with an unfortunate lecherous expression. She was wondering what she could safely hex him with in this public area if he actually approached her when the most unexpected thing of the night happened.
“Do you want to dance?” Sirius Black was standing in front of her with his hand out.
“Erm…”
He grinned at her. “I don’t bite.”
Lily looked at James out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t seem overly alarmed. “Ok.”
If Remus was good, then Sirius was better. Like everything else he did, he danced with polish and confidence. Lily had the disconcerting impression that he was in complete control of not only what they were doing, but of where everyone else was going on the dance floor.
“You can dance – this is a new side of Sirius Black,” she teased.
“Mother said that being able to dance was one of the earmarks of good breeding.” Sirius’s tone had a trace of bitterness amongst the sarcasm. “That’s one of the reasons I almost never do it.”
“Well, in that case, I’m honored you would make an exception in my case,” Lily said.
Sirius’s gray eyes suddenly became very intense. “Of course, Lily.”
Since he almost always called her ‘Evans,’ Lily felt a small jolt of surprise at the sound of his voice saying her name. Then he set her even more off balance by turning her into a dip.
When she caught her breath, Lily realized that she was being treated to the full extent of Sirius Black’s charm. Suddenly it was much clearer what caught Margot’s eye – not to mention more than half the girls at Hogwarts.
Even so, Lily scowled at him and hissed. “What are you doing?”
“The question is, my dear Evans, what are you doing?” Sirius straightened them out and continued dancing.
“What?” Lily blinked at him, confused.
“What are your intentions with our boy, James?” Sirius asked.
“My…intentions?” Lily might have laughed, but something in Sirius’s expression told her that he wasn’t joking.
“Did you ask him to this place for a reason, or are you just looking for someone who will dance with you?” He jerked his head meaningfully towards where Remus was dancing with Peter’s Muggle.
“Oh!” Lily suddenly felt a flush coming up her neck. “I…” She looked at Sirius, unsure of how capable or comfortable she was with answering his question. “I think that when this song ends, you had better take me back to the table. I’m done dancing.”
That seemed to satisfy him. He grinned at her. “In that case, let’s make the most of this one. Shut up and dance.”
*~*~*
Peter and Margot departed first, the latter reluctantly, but she had a curfew and was dependent on Peter and his borrowed Muggle automobile for transportation. Somehow it was established that James would see Lily home and Remus and Sirius were left alone at the table.
“I think you’re right that Disco is evil,” speculated Remus, who had suffered an angry glare from Peter before the latter departed.
“It’s evil, all right – but it’s a Muggle evil. I can almost understand why my family hates Muggles so much sitting here.” Sirius cracked.
“Peter’s my friend. I could never steal his girl,” Remus said earnestly.
A bit too earnestly. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.
Remus grinned. “Actually, I could steal his girl. But I wouldn’t do that.”
Sirius laughed. “You’re a good mate, Moony.”
“And what about you?”
“I?” Sirius pointed at himself with mock innocence.
“You were sort-of pouring it on out there.”
“And yet she resisted.” Sirius leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “You know, Moony, I think Evans might actually care for our little Prongsie.”
Remus nodded. “I thought it might be something like that.”
“You did, eh? Well, what do you say we break a few Muggle girls’ hearts before we leave this foul den of wickedness? The birds at the table across the floor have been trying to get your attention ever since Peter and his little friend left.”
“Really?” Remus asked, looking over the floor with skepticism and interest.
“Sure,” Sirius said, urging Remus to his feet.
“Let’s say we go give them a thrill…”
*~*~*
Lily’s home was in a neat row of Muggle houses and looked pristine and safe. Between that and the fact that Lily was more than capable with her own wand, James felt ridiculously redundant in the escort department, but still walked her up the three little steps to her front door.
“So…erm…how about that both Remus and Sirius dancing?” James asked with a nervous smile.
Lily smiled back. “Yes, that was quite a surprise.”
“I…hope you… I mean…it seemed like you had a good time.” James stammered.
“Oh yes!” Lily confirmed enthusiastically. “It was fun. Not the least bit horrid like Pet said.”
James gave a half laugh and nodded.
“James?” Lily asked tentatively. “Did you have a good time?”
Her expression told him that she didn’t expect him to answer positively. James didn’t know how to explain to her. “Well…I…I guess I just still don’t get the music. I mean what is ‘Hot Stuff’ and why does she want it? It’s not really my thing.”
“But I gave you that album so that you would know what it would be like. If you didn’t like it, why did you come?” Lily seemed somehow disappointed.
James looked at her and wondered how, after all these years, she could not know the answer to that question. “Because I like you.”
She blinked her green eyes at him. “So…you’re in like with me?”
“Lily, I…” James couldn’t resist that gaze any longer. He had no words to answer her question, so instead he just put his hands on either side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss.
It was a bit more abrupt than he might have liked. But he was so astonished at his own presumption that he pulled away just before he realized that she was responding to him as opposed to pushing him away.
“James…” she started.
“Lily, I can’t dance,” he blurted his confession before he lost his nerve.
Whatever she had started to say was lost at this revelation. She looked like she was about to laugh. “But, James, you’re so agile and athletic on a broom.”
The idea that she was paying attention to his flying allowed him to smile a bit when he admitted, “It’s rhythm. I have none.”
“Well, you can learn that,” she told him.
He shook his head. “Mum’s tried for years.”
She stepped closer to him and positioned his right hand in the small of her back. “Trust me when I say that I can teach you to have rhythm.”
James very nearly groaned. “Lily, I really just want to kiss you again.”
She smiled coyly. “Consider that motivation.”
“Lily.” James pleaded.
“I want some hot stuff, baby this evening,” she sang quietly as she began to move her body.
James had no choice but to clumsily try and follow her moves. Soon they were both singing those crazy lyrics laughingly and dancing more like Peter when the lights on the house flickered.
“Oh!” Lily exclaimed with a giggle. “I have to go in. We’ll just have to continue these lessons back at Hogwarts.”
“Back at Hogwarts?” James’s heart leapt. “Lily…?”
“Yes,” she said firmly.
“Yes?” James wasn’t sure what she meant.
“Just, yes.” She smiled.
James grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back, but the house lights flickered again and she slipped away and inside the door.
Yes
James wasn’t entirely sure he knew what the question was, but he felt a wild surge of joy that he knew the answer.
Yes.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-22 07:52 pm (UTC)Oh poor James - he can't dance lol, I thought that was really funny. What a great way to show the 'dance of attraction' between James and Lily. Nice to see that the rest of the Marauders come off nicely too.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 03:02 pm (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed it.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-22 11:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-23 02:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 02:59 pm (UTC)I'm glad I drew your name.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 12:24 am (UTC)I also loved the reference to Movie!Remus dancing and how Peter only held on to his date because his friends were kind enough not to upstage him. Ah, the Disco - brings back memories.
Love that James knows the answer even though he doesn't know the question. That yes is a wonderful way to end this fic! So good to see you writing, Secret Santa!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 03:07 pm (UTC)I got momentum about halfway through this and was ready to apply it to other things, but then the kids were out of school and Christmas duties were upon me.
Oh, and yes, Harry's cluelessness influences my writing of James. Although James is at least interested in the right girl -- his methods are just not always that smooth.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 11:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 05:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 03:08 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to a productive new year!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 08:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-28 08:52 pm (UTC)