Outward Appearances

Chapter 1: The Masked Stranger

For the seventh time since class had started, Lily Evans looked at her watch. She sighed. Only five minutes later than the last time. Her best friend gave her a quizzical look.

"Is there something going on that I don't know about?" she whispered.

"Nope," Lily responded. She pretended to take extra notes on Professor Binns's lecture so that Arabella would leave her alone. The girl gave her an exasperated look, but started to take her own notes, much to Lily's relief.

Across the room, Lily noticed Evan Rosier trying to catch her eye. Gritting her teeth, she deliberately looked away. The guy would just not take a hint; for some reason he couldn't seem to grasp the concept of the word over. She was beginning to dread classes that they shared with the Slytherins.

"Quite the catch, isn't he?"

Surprised, Lily looked over at Remus Lupin. Apparently, he had noted Rosier's antics. He gave her a small smile before returning his gaze to Professor Binns. Lily continued to stare at him. Remus was definitely the prettiest boy she had ever seen. His hair was a light brown, and always seemed to be falling over his clear, gray eyes. Some girls would kill for kissable lips like his and fair complexion. A comment from him was notable considering how shy he was. The only people she had ever seen him conversing with were his friends James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. She didn't understand what nice boys like Remus and Peter were doing hanging out with James and Sirius, who were sitting in the desks behind them.

"See something you like?" Arabella suddenly whispered in her ear, obviously mistaking her interest for infatuation.

"Always," Lily joked. In reality, Remus was more than safe from her. She had just gotten rid of Evan, and another boyfriend wasn't in her agenda at the moment. Lily looked at her watch again.

"Would you knock it off? You're just reminding me how much of class is left!" Arabella hissed.

"Sorry," Lily whispered. She clenched her hands together under the desk, so she wouldn't be able to look again. She definitely needed to be more discrete in the future, or she would be facing unwanted questions.

"Miss Evans?"

Lily jumped, caught off guard. "Err-Professor?"

The ghost glared at her through squinted eyes. "Which goblin led the rebellion at Redslock Gorge?"

Apparently even Professor Binns had noticed her lack of concentration, which was ironic considering Frank Longbottom, who was snoring loudly a few desks away.

"Balderdash the Brave," she answered, almost as a reflex.

Someone snorted behind her. It sounded suspiciously like Sirius Black. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard him mutter something that made James snicker.

Binns stared at her, still scowling, but he nodded and continued to read from his dusty book.

Arabella smirked at her. "Do you have some telekinetic powers that I don't know about, or do I seriously need to get you out more?" she whispered.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"You got the right answer and you weren't even listening. It must be nice to know everything."

Lily just shrugged. Sometimes it paid to do a little extra reading; especially if she happened to blow off the assigned reading in favor of doing something less constructive, like sneaking out of the castle... Giving up, she looked at her watch again.

"Hot date?"

Lily raised an eyebrow at Remus. That made two unexpected comments from him. "Why do you ask?"

Remus shrugged. "You keep checking your watch. I'm guessing it isn't because you're in a hurry to start the homework." It could have been her imagination, but she thought she saw a twinkle in his eye.

"You wouldn't be wrong," she whispered back. "But no date."

Remus jotted down some notes, and Lily assumed the subject was closed. She attempted to listen to the Professor, but found it near impossible to concentrate on his droning voice. She received a glare from Arabella after trying to sneak another furtive glance at her watch.

"Are you going to the Quidditch match tomorrow?" Remus didn't look at her, keeping his eyes on Professor Binns.

She took a closer look at him. Could Remus be interested? She had never picked up any vibes before... But why would he ask, unless he wanted to see her there? She felt a warm shiver at the thought.

"Yeah, I am."

Remus looked at her, and opened his mouth to say something----

Bbbbrrrriiiinnnnggggg!!!!!

Lily and the rest of the class began to hastily shove things into their bags. Finally!

"Later," Remus smiled, throwing his bag over his shoulder. He quickly bolted for the door, where his friends were already waiting for him.

Arabella nudged her. "I think he was going to ask you out!" she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Lily gave her a weak smile, wondering how she was going to ditch her best friend. Hmn...

"He's definitely cute," Arabella observed. "And if you went out with him, I'd have an excuse to talk to Sirius."

"Like you ever needed an excuse before," Lily joked. Now, what would get Arabella away from her? She smiled. Bingo! "Do you feel like heading to the library? I'm going to get a head start on that potions essay," she said innocently.

Arabella pulled a face. "No thanks. It's Friday, classes are over, and that essay isn't due until Tuesday!"

"Then I'll see you later." Still smiling, Lily left the classroom. The surest way to ditch her best friend was to threaten her with homework. Arabella avoided the library like some people avoided lepers. She would be begging to copy Lily's paper an hour before class.

Lily quickly did the math in her head. Now Arabella would probably go find their other best friend Mungdungus Fletcher, who was in Ravenclaw, which would keep her away for who knows how long. Vivian and Marcella would be heading back to their dorm, but knowing them, they would stop to flirt with that ridiculous knight in the portrait. That gave Lily about fifteen minutes.

With speed that surprised even her, Lily made her way up to the Gryffindor tower. Impatiently, she gave the password, and ran up the stairs to the girl's side of the dorm. She was relieved to see that the room was empty. She crossed the room to her bed, and dropped down onto her hands and knees. Reaching underneath, she pulled out a large, black bag. Checking its contents, she shoved the bag under her robes, and raced back down the stairs, out of the Common Room, and out of the tower.

Lily took a careful look around. A few Hufflepuffs were giggling nearby, but they didn't seem to notice as she passed them. Praying that she didn't run into any teachers, Lily braved the moving staircases until one of them reached the fourth floor. Stepping off, she tried to appear casual as she walked down the familiar hallway. Finally, she stopped in front of the mirror. Taking a final glance around, she tucked her fingers behind the side edge of the mirror, and pulled. It came out easily, and Lily ducked behind it into the secret tunnel.

Darkness immediately engulfed her. Fumbling for her wand, she muttered, "Lumos." A bright light poured from her wand, casting a calm glow around her. Lily checked her watch. She still had plenty of time before the Hogsmeade nightlife began.

She carefully climbed down the old staircase. Even though she couldn't see it, she could smell the mildew and other pungent odors of age. The darkness grew thicker around her as she ascended downward. Finally, she stepped off onto solid ground. Setting down her wand, Lily pulled the bag out of her robes. She unzipped it, and pulled a blanket out. She hastily laid it out on the cold dirt, sat down, and dumped the rest of the contents onto it. Among them were a small mirror, a tangle of dresses, a pair of gold sandals, a mask, and various hair and makeup products. The different dresses were part of separate costumes, and Lily quickly decided that she would be going as a fairy tonight. It wasn't the accurate version of a fairy, but the Muggle version; beautiful creatures that roamed the forest, breathing life into the flowers, and hiding from human eyes.

On random nights, Sieranda Smiltine transformed her quaint dress shop into a huge ballroom, decorated like a wild jungle. Flowers that Lily had only ever seen in the school greenhouses grew on vines as thick as redwoods that seemed to have overrun the room. Lily guessed that Sieranda hated to see Halloween go, because that's what her shop became, a continuous resurrection of the Halloween spirit. All of her participants came disguised in costumes and partied until dawn. Lily could never stay that long, considering that she had to be back before anyone realized that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Tonight Arabella would think that she had been researching her potion paper all night. No one ever knew exactly when the parties would be, because Sieranda seemed to decide on spur of the moment. Lily hadn't figured out how, but somehow Sieranda knew who all of her regular participants were, and an owl always landed on Lily's windowsill a day beforehand. This was uncanny since masks were mandatory.

She grabbed the silky, thin strapped, gold dress, and stuffed the other ones back into the bag. Shivering from the cold, Lily removed her robes and Hogwarts uniform, and quickly pulled the dress over her head. It was small, barely reaching her thighs, and the hem had been cut into strips by Lily's wand. It looked like something a fairy would be found in.

She picked up her wand, pointed it at her own arm, and muttered one of her personal spells. Golden lines slowly emerged on Lily's pale skin, spreading out into a wild pattern over her arm. The patterns continued to branch into vines complete with roses and fully detailed leaves that stopped at her shoulder. She repeated the spell on her other arm, and then both of her legs. Satisfied, Lily pulled on her matching sandals. Picking up her wand again, she pointed it at her hair, and muttered, "Curlios."

Lily felt a tingling sensation on her scalp as her straight hair suddenly began to twist, turn, and finally to curl. The curls reached her waist, and Lily ran her brush through them to give a more natural look.

The oddest object Lily had brought was a simple piece of cardboard. Still clutching her wand, Lily concentrated on transfiguring it. Slowly, it stretched into two connected pieces, which formed identical shapes. Then the cardboard gave a shudder before becoming soft white wings. Happily, Lily held them to her back, and muttered an attachment spell.

After applying some simple lip-gloss, she reached for the final piece of her costume; a small mask that covered the area around her eyes. She picked up the mirror, and smiled at her reflection. Lily looked like a fairy, or a creature that belonged in another world. She laughed at what Arabella and Mungdungus would say if they saw her like this. Surprisingly, she thought about Remus.

Lily stuffed everything remaining back into the bag; blanket included, and left it at the bottom of the stairs. She felt assured that no one else would be using this tunnel anytime soon. She turned to go, but realized that she would be forced to carry her wand around with her all night. Lily reached back into her bag and pulled out a long sash. She folded it in two, and then tied it around her waist tightly. After she reached the tunnel's end, she could tuck it into the sash and wouldn't have to worry about it. Positive that she hadn't forgotten anything else, Lily rushed down the tunnel.

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There was a thick perfume in the air, creating a sleepy sensation over Lily as she pushed her way through to the dance floor. The band started up a new song that pulsed so loud that Lily could feel it under her skin. She felt drunk. The perfume combined with the music and all of the masked strangers gave her a dizzy, but not unpleasant feeling.

Warm hands suddenly snaked around her waist. Lily didn't even blink, but lifted her arms over her head and began to sway to the music. All of the masks made people bold; they removed inner insecurities. The body accompanying the hands moved with her. Smiling, she turned in his arms until she could wrap her arms around her partner's neck. A vampire, she noticed. A whole head taller than her, the man had to bend down to nip her ear. Lily returned the favor, but pulled away. Another pair of arms quickly pulled her into a similar embrace. Still swaying, Lily ran her hands up thick arms. This time a demon, he attempted to yell something to her. Laughing, she pulled away. She wasn't in the mood to talk. This went on and on, until she was out of breathe.

Pushing her way toward the bar, Lily blew a kiss to a skeleton, who immediately moved to get her a drink. Being underage, she had to rely on other people to get her alcohol. He handed her a red drink. Smiling, Lily swallowed it in one gulp. Before the skeleton could speak, she moved back onto the dance floor. Whatever she had drunk had an immediate effect. She felt absolutely giddy.

Spotting two water demons, she pointed to them and resumed her movements, sending a silent invitation. They grinned at each other. One of them moved behind her, snaking his arms around her as the vampire had done. His friend took position in front of her, also wrapping his arms around her. Lily grinned as they began to move like a unit. Someone shoved another drink into her hand, which quickly disappeared after she had swallowed its contents. She felt a pleasant shiver as lips pressed against her hair and hands moved up and down her sides. Although she was considerably distracted, Lily suddenly felt a strong gaze on her. Glancing up, she found herself staring at a stag. The stag had antlers attached to his mask, and armor that was almost Roman, but more primitive. He was standing some feet away, simply staring at her. Lily felt another shiver. There was something familiar about him....

Suddenly feeling naughty, Lily wrapped a leg around her front partner, while moving her hands up into her back partner's hair. She kept her eyes on the stag. The water demons took her cue and began to move harder against her, but Lily wasn't paying attention to them. The stag's mouth formed a wry smile. She expected him to start dancing, but he didn't move.

Smiling at him, she pulled away from the water demons. They tried to bring her back, but Lily ducked away. Making sure that the stag was still watching, she pulled another guy out of the crowd. Not even bothering to look at him, she grinded against him. The stag shook his head, as if to say that enough was enough, and finally moved toward her. Lily's breathing slowed as he approached. Strength seemed to generate off of him, making everyone around him seem weak and unimportant. Ignoring her dance partner, he pulled her away from him. The boy made a noise of protest, but the crowd had already separated them.

As the stag pulled her into his arms, Lily strangely thought of the pagan nature god meeting a woodland nymph.

Breaking her own rule, Lily started to ask, "Who are-," but he placed a finger over her lips. Smiling, she gave in and relaxed in his arms. Her immediate reaction was one of safety. The song was slow now and the perfume seemed to have thickened, making her head swim. His lips brushed against her neck in such a gentle way that Lily would have purred if it was possible. Their bare legs brushed against each other. Lily's molecules felt like they were each buzzing individually. The stag lifted his head just enough to look her in the eye, his breath caressing her cheek. She had the sensation of drowning in blue mists. He seemed to be waiting for permission. Without hesitation, Lily closed the gap between their mouths. A thousand sparks exploded, and everything melted away. In the back of her mind, she knew that this was wrong. She didn't even know his name...But the voice quickly faded, being replaced by raw heat. His arms tightened around her, and Lily's hands found their way into his thick hair. His warm tongue slid into her mouth, teasing her. Lily pressed harder against him. Her body tingled wherever his hands moved. One of his hands slipped lazily to the back of her head, and his fingers traced through her hair. Everything was spinning. More. She wanted more...

Lily was suddenly seized by the need to know who he was. The need to see his face was so powerful that she was helpless to resist it. She jerked away, breaking their connection. He stared at her, obviously dazed by the intensity of the kiss. She slowly lifted her hand toward his mask, making no attempt to hide what she was doing. He stiffened, but made no move to stop her. Lily had stopped breathing, and his eyes were burning strangely. This was it. But when her fingers touched the mask, she was abruptly pulled backward.

Gasping, Lily stumbled away from the stag and into another pair of arms. She immediately missed his warmth. Looking up, she realized that one of the water demons had found her again. He had a strange grin on his face. Before Lily could catch her breath, his friend appeared next to them and was pulling her toward him. The sharp movements and alcohol in her system combined to lessen her balance. Lily stumbled and was quickly caught by another man. She didn't know this one, and pulled away abruptly into someone else. She felt an irrational stab of fear. The masks that had been so appealing now appeared menacing. She was surrounded, and they were all grinning. The stag was nowhere to be seen. The room suddenly felt a hundred degrees. Sweat formed at her temple, and everything around her was blurring. But hands were touching her again. They weren't gentle. Confused and afraid, she leapt forward, breaking between them. The ground rushed at her, but then she was pulled upward. She looked up into the concerned face of her stag.

Yes, she smiled. Her stag....

He was so familiar....

Then everything faded to black, and she was falling again.

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