Masquerade

It started it all and I'd never know
How a Christmas Masquerade hate had transformed into
Beautiful woven spins of yarn
Where fairytales unfold before you

Chapter 1: The Dreamer
It was always an exciting event to happen to a twelve-year-old. Well, most of the twelve-year-olds anyway. One particular individual was fuming over the ridiculous idea of having a ball. No, not really a ball. It's a masquerade.

'I can't believe this. A masquerade?! Dad never told me that Hogwarts held an annual Masquerade, lasting from Christmas Eve till New Year!' James said irritably to Sirius Black. His friend sighed.

'That's the tenth time, Potter, you complained to me,' Sirius said boringly. 'Couldn't you just call it quits?'

'Call what quits?' his friend snapped. 'To the ball? I never knew that I can call quits with some stupid, lifeless party,' James said sarcastically. He stomped huffily into the Gryffindor common room, yelling the password at the Fat Lady, who grumpily slammed the hole after him, making sure that James's finger got caught. It worked successfully and James yelled.

'Ssh!!!' Peter Pettigrew, another first-year, hushed.

'I don't need any toilet! Why should I "ssh" in that case?' James said snappily. His normally calm mood had gone a little out of line from the time Dumbledore announced that Christmas party. The elves in the kitchens throwing pans around didn't help much, too. Just added oil into his already flaming self.

James Potter never liked Christmas. He hated it. He hated it for being a merry day, he hated it for being the day people are happy, and, most of all, he hated it because his mother had died on that very day. Of leukemia, or whatever those stupid muggle doctors had said. She died at the very stroke of midnight, when Christmas rang in. When James's Christmas turned bleak.

'Remus is sleeping,' Peter said in a hushed tone.

'He's always sleeping,' Sirius commented, looking at the pale boy on the comfy sofa. He poked his eye a little and Remus shifted his position uncomfortably.

'Always sick,' James said. He added, in a considerably softer tone, 'So's his mother. Poor thing.'

'He can't help it,' Peter said sympathetically.

'He need some antibiotics,' a girl's voice said suddenly, in the seemingly empty common room. The boys glanced around nervously.

'A ghost?' Peter suggested.

'Who's that?' Sirius asked curiously. 'And ghosts don't sound alive, do they Peter?'

'No...'

'Forget who is it. Just show up. It's rude to talk when you're not - I repeat, Madam, NOT invited!' James said sharply. The girl stood up from her sofa, which faced behind them from the fireplace. She went to them and smiled pleasantly.

'Lily Evans. Please to meet you,' Lily said cheerfully. Peter held out his hand solemnly and Lily took it, just as solemnly, and shook it. Sirius and James were also engulfed in this hand shaking. Lily picked up Remus's sleeping hand and shook it solemnly, too.

Sirius cracked.

'What are you doing?' he asked, stifling a laughter.

'Why, what else am I doing but shaking hands with my you?' Lily said, smiling at them broadly. She had a nice set of teeth; only one crooked tooth next to her front teeth.

'Which year are you in? I'd never seen you before. Are you an exchange?' James asked curiously.

'No. I'm in my first year. A... muggleborn, if that's the term,' Lily said. 'Can never get use to these wizarding terms.'

'You'll get them eventually,' Peter said carelessly. 'I did.'

'You're in the same year as we are,' Sirius said bluntly. 'How come you weren't around?'

'Oh, no one notices me,' Lily replied. 'Unless I want them to. And it's more fun. Do you like people to notice you?'

'Sometimes yes, sometimes no,' James said. 'I'm 50-50. By the way, my name's James Potter.'

'Sirius Black.'

'Peter Pettigrew.'

'Wha?' Remus mumbled sleepily, stirring from his sleep. 'Oh, have I fallen asleep again?'

'Obviously,' Sirius stated.

'Oh, no!!! I haven't finished my Transfiguration, my Charms isn't done and I hadn't even started Potions!' Remus cried, scrambling his fingers over the parchments in his black school bag.

'Hang on there! You mean the dateline has changed?' James asked urgently. Remus blinked blankly at him. James added helpfully, 'Erm, to an earlier date?'

'It has? I'm DOOMED!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Remus moaned, pulling his hair. He then stop, deciding that it'll not save him from his current situation and began doing his work on the table.

'You know, he has a case of hysterics,' Lily said, staring at Remus's quill flying over textbooks and parchments in an orange blur.

'I don't!' Remus yelled. He paused and then turned around. 'You are...?'

'Lily Evans.'

'Oh, the girl sitting right at the back of the class. Have you finished your homework?'

'Um, no... the dateline's two weeks later, right?' Lily said, wondering how he, a seriously sane minded person, could try to finish homework as early as that.

'That stupid, good-for-nothing, lousy, evil Masquerade ball!!!' James muttered suddenly, out of the blue.

'I think he has a case of hysterics too,' Lily said to Sirius and Peter. She paused. 'A masquerade? How can this happen? ho started that? Aaah!!!'

'You know what, I think she has that hysterics she's talking about,' Peter whispered to Sirius in amusement.

'I couldn't agree any much more than you,' Sirius replied. 'But one thing's for certain, we have a new friend as late as the end of October. Wonder why didn't she join the get-to-know sessions in September.'

'Is this Lily insane?' James asked worriedly. 'She seems a little to me. Seem to get mood change most of the time.' Lily over-heard him and laughed lightly. Her high-pitched voice reminded James very much of the house sparrows in his bird nest at home.

'Don't worry, I'm not mental,' she said assuringly. 'I get over-excited at most times and emotions are not something I can control. I have as many people as you do.’

'People?' Remus echoed. 'In us? It's only me, as far as I'd seen.'

'No, no! I mean personalities,' Lily said. 'See we have a sad side, a happy one, angry and bla bla bla. They can take control over us at any time they want, though it's very unlike your curses like the--what was it? Crucio or Imperio? Who cares-- It's not like those curses, so there.'

'Oh... Take Jimmy here for example, then. He was burning a while ago,' Sirius said.

'His "person" never stayed for a chat,' Peter said, understanding what Lily is talking about. James, not meaning to be put down and be humoured at (for not being as angry), immediately summoned up the angry fire that had raged in his chest a while ago. He failed. After all, no one can control his/her emotions.

'Who cares?' James snapped.

'Sore loser Potter, sore loser Potter,' Sirius sang cheekily. James felt like landing a fist on his friend's goofy face and mute that equally goofy voice.

'Hey you! You are all first-formers, right?' a prefect in his nightgown barked suddenly from the stairs. 'Get back to bed or I'll issue you detentions! Making noises as late as this... pests.' He left right after.

Lily mumbled a quick goodbye and departed to her dormitory hurriedly. Remus packed his things, moaning about his still unfinished homework. James and Sirius yawned and left. Peter fed the goldfish in the pond some bread before leaving. The lights in the common room turned off.

~ * * ~

The boys see more of Lily than they usually do. In that case, it means that they noticed her in classes for the first time. She never had a partner in Potions, no friend for Charms lessons, no chums for Transfiguration and definitely no one to talk to in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Yet the funny thing is that Lily seem pretty contented with all of this. She smiled gaily at no one in particular, laughed silently, ate her food with a soft smile of knowledge as she pushed her meatballs and cabbages, and grinned whenever Nearly-Headless-Nick made a joke about gruesome death.

No on seem to notice her at all. Students talk and walk as if she wasn't there, they ignore her and Lily... well, she just isn't there. She seemed to have camouflage ability to sink into any picture possible.

'Guess I'll just give Professor Sprout another reason,' James shrugged when Sirius asked him about his Herbology homework.

'Really? You'd ranged from ants' droppings to Merlin's orders. What other reasons you can still give?' Sirius asked in mock surprise. James thought for a while.

'Think she'll buy "the devil ate my homework" stuff?' James asked.

'No,' came the flat answer.

'Sheesh. What about "my kitty threw it into the dustbin, deciding that I wasn't creative enough"?'

'If you even have a kitty...'

'Hmm... "the Venus Trap Peter caught in the Forest acidize it."'

'Really, how stupid can this get?' Sirius said in exasperation. James might as well say he jumped down the cliff and survived death.

'Look, just borrow me yours,' James said urgently. 'I'll copy it and I won't get into trouble.'

Sirius held his assignment protectively, indication a definite "no-no" body language. James groaned, just as Lily sneaked into the greenhouse, her black bag hugged to her chest.

James was at her in less than a second. 'Lily, I'm sure you remember me, right? James Potter? Yep?'

'Why would I forget anyone?' Lily asked curiously.

'Can I see you homework? Y'know, Herbology?'

'I haven't done it yet,' came the innocent reply. James stared.

'What?! Then- then what will you say to her?' the boy stuttered. He was out of reasonable reasons, as far as he'd known. Lily grinned at him.

'I posted my homework to mum instead of the letter I meant to send. See, professor, I folded both parchments and kept them in the same compartment in my bag. Just then, my owl came for its daily post for home and I hastily took it out for--'

'You wrote that one out, didn't you?' James said.

'Actually, no. I thought that when I was talking to you. It just came into my mind, out of the blue,' Lily replied.

Just then, the short, plump, Professor Sprout trotted in on her stubby legs, her face beaming brightly at her students in a motherly fashion.

'Please hand in your homework I assign you last week, about the Mini-Trap Plant!' she called.

Everyone placed their rolls of parchments in her arms (as the greenhouse provided no desk for studies purposes). Lily and James stood before her, looking guilty.

'Yes, Evans, Potter? Where's your homework?' she asked. Lily suddenly burst into tears. James jumped up in surprise at the outburst. He wasn't quite expecting that.

'Oh, professor! I’d finished my homework, but this evil RedCap under my bed tore it into piece! Look, Professor,’ Lily said, sobbing bitterly as she held out a few bits of torn parchments. Only few words like "as", "the", "likely" and "specially" could be made out. Lily shedded more tears. Professor Sprout, being a kindly soul, began comforting her at once.

‘There, there, dear, it isn’t your fault,’ the professor said kindly. ‘Write another one and hand it to me on Tuesday, okay?’ Lily nodded sadly and left for her seat, whispering a barely audible ‘good luck’ to James.

James’s heart sank. Could he get or make up a convincing excuse to save his hide? Well, it’s worth a try…

‘Your excuse, Potter?’ Professor Sprout asked sternly.

‘Professor, my excuse is unbelievable,’ James said solemnly. ‘You won’t even believe it. Not even for all the galleons in the world.’

‘Speak. I’ll try my best to.’

‘See Professor, the devil ate my homework!’ James said dramatically. ‘I was doing it late in the common room last night when this guy with a white face, red eyes and red lips came. He grabbed my parchment, professor, and I fought for it. Look, he even scratched me!’ James pulled up his black sleeve to reveal a long gash in the arm. Professor Sprout gasped.

‘Oh, dear!’

‘He took my homework, ate it, and left,’ James said as solemnly as he can, rubbing his hand carefully over the "gashed" arm. Actually, he had accidentally caught his arm on a tiny needle. Sirius tried getting it off for him, but being Sirius, he caused a long skin scratch. So much for his help.

‘Potter, you are excused. Hand in your homework on Tuesday,’ Professor Sprout said, sighing in sympathy.

Back in his seat, Sirius was dying to burst out laughing. He felt like exploding, in fact! The reason James had given was totally unacceptable! The boy could hardly believe his ears and eyes when the plump, stout teacher excused James.

‘You had the nerve to say that! I’m surprised that she even believed you!’ Sirius laughed, when they were out.

‘Don’t ask me how. I copied Lily’s ways,’ James said. ‘You heard her elaboration?’

‘RedCap under her bed,’ Remus snorted. ‘The first place it’ll end up in is the toilet bowl if I ever find it!’

‘She was convincing, with the papers and stuff,’ Peter said.

‘I owe her one now,’ James sighed.

‘You sure do,’ Sirius said. ‘Maybe you two can get hooked up and all.’

‘Typical twelve-year-old,’ James muttered. Sirius heard the comment and is not pleased with it. He frowned at James.

‘I’m twelve and so are you!’ he retorted.

‘I’m twenty,’ James said, pointing at his head. ‘My brain’s twenty, get me? I’m much wiser than you.’

Peter coughed. Remus snorted. Sirius howled with laughter. And Lily muttered something about a moon princess.

‘When did you join us?’ Peter asked at once. Lily looked puzzled.

‘Did I join you?’ she asked innocently.

‘Then what are you doing in this empty common room?’ Sirius asked.

‘Is it empty? No, it isn’t. There’s carpet, sofas, couches, tables…’

‘Jimmy says that you gave him inspiration for excuse,’ Remus said, changing the subject.

‘I did? I didn’t give anything…’

‘Um, whatever. And thanks, Lily, for helping me with my excuse with the professor. Else, I wouldn’t even be here at the moment,’ James said. Lily shrugged.

‘Yeah. He’ll be in the black list again,’ Sirius said. ‘Not like he isn’t yet, but heck, who cares?’

‘I do! My dad’ll be murdering me!’ James yelled.

‘You don’t seem to. Else, you’ll be doing your work and your detentions.’

‘Oh. Er, that’s a different, um, case.’

‘Why do we rarely see you, Lily?’ Peter asked.

‘You don’t observe?’ Lily said, making it sound more like a fact than a suggestion.

‘Oh, okay,’ Peter said, scratching his head. ‘Well then, have you found partners for the ball? Remus, have you? I hear the girls are going like hot cakes,’ he said, deciding that he should change the topic.

‘What ball?’ Remus inquired.

‘Christmas. It’s a Masquerade.’

‘Em, no. I didn’t know there was one,’ Remus said uneasily, fidgeting a little.

‘Half the girls are asked, in case you don’t know,’ Peter said helpfully. Remus just shrugged.

‘No worry for me, in that case. You see, if my sister gets a date, I’m safe. If not, I’m dead,’ Remus said dully.

‘Sounds very… systematic,’ Sirius said thoughtfully with a bite of uncertainty in it. ‘I’m still deciding.

‘I’m not going,’ James said.

‘I’m not going, too,’ Lily echoed. ‘Mother’s remarrying.’

‘Great. So is my father,’ James said. ‘A stepmother. Oh boy. It should be very pleasant—not.’

‘You’d better count your stars that she’s not like Cinderella’s stepmother,’ Lily said. ‘I wish my new stepfather is nice. I never met him yet. I wish he’ll be sweet, nice, caring, loving and all.’

‘You mean, you two have single parents?’ Peter asked.

‘I have only my mother and my sister,’ Lily said promptly.

‘Only my father and two house elves,’ James said shortly.

‘Petunia is the sweetest sister ever! She makes you laugh all the time!’ Lily said brightly. ‘Once, she yelled "YAH!" at my face and fell into her birthday cake.’

‘Maybe she was trying to scare you,’ Remus said helpfully. ‘I mean, my sister Rebecca always does that, but she never fell into a cake.’

‘I’m getting a stepmother!!!’ James moaned.

‘Hope my new father will be as I’d hoped,’ Lily said dreamily.

Sirius figured that this girl (Lily Evans) dream too much. She seemed to have an imaginative mind. Then again, it could be stupidity. There’s a thin line there, between stupidity, creativity and insanity. Lily could be either one of those or all three.

‘I was wondering,’ Remus said, ‘if Lily’s mother and father for married, what’ll become of you two? I mean, neither of you know your new parents.’

‘Nothing! We’ll be brothers and sisters, then!’ Lily said easily. ‘But the chances are one out of hundred, meaning 1%.’

‘We’ll remain friends, right?’ James said.

‘Yep. Only brother and sister.’ Lily began humming a "London Bridge Is Falling Down" tune to herself absent-mindedly.

‘Back to the original topic. Why can’t you attend the masquerade? It lasts every night of December, starting Christmas Eve, all the way to New Year!’ Remus said. ‘I don’t think a wedding ceremony lasts that long!’

‘Er, yeah,’ James said gloomily. ‘Truth to be told, it’s not the wedding ceremony that’s keeping me. That’s on early December.’

‘So what is the reason?’

‘I … don’t want to go.’

‘I’m going for a snack,’ Lily said suddenly, standing up. Anyone has a clue where the kitchens are?’

‘No kitchens in Hogwarts,’ Sirius said automatically.

‘But that’s impossible! How’d our food come by?’

‘No idea.’

‘Hmm… maybe it’s fairies’s cooking,’ Lily said, thinking hard. ‘Or brownies. I hear brownies help in cooking and house maintenance, but they want payment, which is a saucer of milk. Judging the castle’s size, we need at least a million saucer of milk for the brownies… Or maybe it’s a-’

‘An elf,’ James said. ‘It’s elves that do jobs like this for free. I have two back home. Hogwarts have millions, probably. They hide pretty well, too, and you won’t see them.’

Lily’s face fell. ‘Ah. I guess no snack, then.’

‘You won’t die,’ Remus said, cackling cruelly.

‘Yeah. Least you’ll be is just- just-… what will she be?’ Sirius asked in puzzlement.

‘Faint of hunger,’ Peter suggested.

‘Not a thrilling thing to hear, Peter,’ Lily said, frowning. ‘I don’t fancy being unconscious. Any better idea?’

‘You can catch fish by the lake,’ Remus suggested.

‘If you’re lucky, you might be eaten by the giant squid or pulled down by the merpeople. They’re rather playful,’ James said teasingly.

‘You need a better line to scare me!’ Lily retorted scornfully. Peter thought for a while.

‘Do you think that there are kelpies in there?’ he asked pensively.

‘What are kelpies?’

‘Refer your Magical Creatures book,’ Sirius said. ‘You muggles call it Loch Ness Dino.’

Lily blinked blankly. ‘Nessie is in Scotland. In Loch Ness. How did she come all the way to Hogwarts?’

‘Whatever. I don’t know where this castle is anyway, but it’s not a tourist attraction center.’

‘I’m not fishing, then,’ Lily said finally. She don’t quite fancy meeting the legendary dinosaur from the Loch Ness. High chances are that she’ll be eaten first. She pulled out a book. ‘I’m reading.’

‘Let’s go hunting!’ Sirius yelled, as the boys marched out of the common room quickly. Slam! The portrait hole was shut.

‘H-hey!’ Lily called. ‘Fine! Leave me here!’ she huffed.

A small figure spied the reading Lily carefully, her white hands trembling and sweaty. She drew her breath in and walked out of the storeroom by the stairs. Lily barely even look up.

After all, the girl reminded herself, she’s a mind-yourself person.

The girl straightened her robes and drew another deep gush of oxygen.

‘Hello Lily,’ she greeted. Lily looked up at her and blinked.

‘Hello Jenny. What are you doing here?’ Lily said.

‘Um, nothing. I was wondering, er, if I…’

‘Yes?’ Lily said. Jenny gulped.

‘Lily, I- I- I- I want to be your friend,’ Jenny stammered. She hurriedly added, ‘If you don’t mind, of course.’

Lily stared at Jenny as she took the girl in. Jenny Kurt was a sweet girl, another Gryffindor first year. She had short black-brown hair, cropped neatly around her pretty oval face. She looked rather mousy with her large glasses, sitting on the bridge of her nose, her grey eyes staring out of its thin frame.

Lily smiled. ‘Sure, why not?’