If Love is a Game...

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Last Hogsmeade Trip

"Oh, another Hogsmeade trip is upon us; it's going to rock," Lorena sang as she jumped around the girls' Seventh Year dormitory, waking up anyone who was still sleeping, "and I still can't find my--sock! Where is that stupid thing?"

"Okay, what is the deal with you and losing feet things, Lorena?" Jessie asked irritably as Lorena walked past her bed. "Ever since you started hanging around Remus Lupin and them, you've gotten amnesia at least ten times a week." She had still been asleep. When she saw everyone getting ready, she was a little confused; she had forgotten it was the Hogsmeade trip today. She had forgotten it was Valentine's Day.

"Finally, I thought you were going to sleep until the Masquerade, Jess," Marissa sighed, taking the curlers out of her brown locks of hair. She looked at her confusedly and Marissa rolled her eyes. "It's Valentine's Day, Jessie; you know, the Hogsmeade trip and the Masquerade."

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that!" Jessie squealed. She jumped out of bed quickly and started to get ready. Lorena finally found her sock under her bed. Sara was making her bed, fully dressed in Muggle clothing. Krystyna walked out of the bathroom with a towel over her head.

"Um, sorry to put you in a rush, Krystyna, but we're running late and your hair is still wet," Sara pointed out. "Couldn't you just use the Drying Charm on it?" Krystyna sighed. Every time she used the Drying Charm on her hair, it made it especially bouncy and curlier than usual.

But, she pointed her wand at her head and said the charm anyways. Her hair immediately dried, and went into many curls, pulling up a little. Sara smiled at her. Lorena put her shoes on and didn't make her bed at all. She, instead, ran out of dormitory quickly, leaving Sara and Krystyna in the dust.

"She's been in a rushed state all morning," Sara explained as she and Krystyna slowly walked out of the dormitory, Krystyna sliding her arm in her jacket. "If you ask me, this Masquerade has got her all worked up. You know her, the more nervous she gets, the louder and more boisterous she gets. Poor Remus, I feel sorry for him."

"She feels sorry for him too," Krystyna chuckled. "For his feet anyway." They both laughed as they walked out of the portrait and out of the Gryffindor common room. They talked about what they were wearing to the Masquerade when Sara started to cough.

"Yes, luck has come my way!" Sara exclaimed cheerily, starting to cough again. "Five extra galleons, here I come! James is going to be sorry he ever bet against me." Krystyna chortled. Sara usually stayed pretty healthy all day until around 3:39--to be exact--when she started getting a fever. It was always on time and very strange. But the strangest part was that Krystyna, for once, was glad that she never got sick like clockwork.

Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, Lily, and Lorena were already waiting for them at the entrance when they got there. Sirius kissed Krystyna and grabbed her hands. Sara rolled her eyes and greeted Lily. Lorena was chewing on a piece of gum very quickly. She blew a bubble larger and larger until it popped in her face and she nearly spit it out.

"Oops," Lorena muttered, trying to peel the gum off of her face.

"Here, let me help you," Remus snickered, grinning uncontrollably. He started helping her get the gum off of her face and she started to giggle along with his snickers.

"I already gave him a heads up and he seemed perfectly fine with her being rowdy and overly cheery all of the time," Lily told Sara. They chuckled a bit. "C'mon, let's get a carriage before we all have to get split up again. I'm not sitting in the same carriage as Terri Chang."

"She can be an annoying little snot," James pointed out. Lily slapped him on the arm; she still didn't approve of his name calling of fellow students. And even though she and Terri Chang didn't get along one bit, she wasn't about to call her an "annoying little snot"--at the moment.

"James, that's so rude and cruel," Lily told him off quietly. James shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

"C'mon, let's go," Sara sighed. She started coughing again and James eyed her with one of his eyebrows raised. She grinned and they started walking. He suddenly had a fleeting feeling that he made one bad bet and he was going to be five galleons short tomorrow.

Their day was going to be split up because of the Masquerade tonight. They were going to sped half of the day together (come on, it's Valentine's Day; what did you expect) and the other half the girls and boys were splitting up to fix themselves up. But, still in the carriage and on the way to Hogsmeade, Lorena was a little bouncier than usual and almost fell out of the carriage; Remus luckily caught her.

The carriages landed on the ground and they got out. Hogsmeade was as beautiful as ever. It was the last of the winter season and it seemed to be giving all it had left. Melting snow dripped off of the roofs of the buildings. Slush was all over the ground and icicles were melting on the trees and gutters. There was a light wind and it was still cold. It seemed to colder in February than usual, but they were all bundled up good. Krystyna pulled her hat over her ears again and pushed her hair behind her ears under her hat; it was annoying her slightly. Sara coughed into her gloved hands again. Sirius blew on his light gloved hands and rubbed them together to warm them up. Peter was shivering visibly.

"Why does it have to be this c-cold now?" James complained, holding himself because he was cold. "It's not December or January; it's February! Grrr, Valentine's Day bites."

"I think it's a wonderful day, James," Lily replied calmly, tapping his cherry nose lightly. She was dressed more appropriately for the weather than he was; she was wearing warmer clothes at least. She fixed the scarf around her neck. He smiled (and warmed up) a bit when Lily kissed him on the cheek.

"Yes, it's a lovely day," James suddenly agreed, still smiling a little. Lily smiled and rolled her eyes. Peter's teeth started chattering wildly. Sara shook her hand and sneezed loudly.

"G-g-gesundheit," Lorena stuttered, shivering so badly that her words were stammering. She was wearing a khaki trench coat that wasn't thick enough for the weather. She pulled her hat down again and pulled on her dark red scarf. She tugged at the belt of her coat and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Okay, so where to first?" Sirius asked calmly, putting his arm around Krystyna and pulling her closer to him. That was perfectly fine with her; she wanted to be really close to him--and it warmed her up. He was always warm, it seemed. She smiled happily. Lorena started shivering again. Remus hesitantly put an arm around her. Needless to say, she immediately forgot that she was freezing and became cheerful again. He was happy for that: She was happy and he was overjoyed.

"Honeydukes! We must go to Honeydukes first!" James declared determinedly. It was his ritual. He had to go to Honeydukes first thing. He would not settle for anything but that. Seeing how Sirius, Remus, and Peter knew James from top to bottom practically, they gave in and nodded their heads.

"I have just one regulation," Lily blurted, stopping the boys in their tracks. They turned to look at her. She smiled lightly when she saw James's patience waning quickly. "James, there will be no Snogo Choco Bars, at all. Do you hear me?"

James thought about it (yes, he thought about it) and finally nodded his head slowly. "Fine, Lily, you win, I won't buy anymore Snogo Choco Bars," he compromised wistfully. "Darn, it was going to be fun too."

"I somehow doubt that," Lily said with a small grin. They started for Honeydukes, as James demanded, and passed Zonko's, the joke shop. They had went inside there during their last Hogsmeade trip--before Christmas--and James had given Lorena some gum that glued her mouth together. James had a valuable lesson that day: It turned out Lorena didn't need her mouth and wand to make someone pay. James had found that out the hard way. As they neared Honeydukes, they saw that it was mostly filled with boys.

"Hey, what's up with that?" Lorena asked quickly.

"Well, I'd imagine most of the girls are getting themselves ready for the Masquerade tonight and the boys are procrastinating, as usual," Lily explained to her calmly. Lorena thought about it and then frowned.

"It doesn't take ten hours to get ready, does it?" Lorena asked bemusedly. Lily thought about it and then shrugged her shoulders.

"That's what Jessie and Marissa are doing here all day," Krystyna chirped softly. "They went to buy new gowns, shoes, any accessories, and masks and also get their hair and makeup done today here. You see, that's why we're getting all ours done later; it'll be a mad rush right now and by our time, it'll be easier and there won't be a long waiting line."

"Oh, I get it now," Lorena sighed. James dragged Lily into the candy shop, its customers cut nearly in half because most of the girls weren't there. There were a few scattered here and there though. They walked into the candy shop slowly. Peter immediately went to restock on sugar quills while Lorena went to the hard candy section, pulling Remus along with her. Sirius and Krystyna went to the chew candy section of the store. James and Lily were at the front, as usual.

"Ew, gross, Jiggling Worms," Krystyna groaned disgustedly, as she looked at a glass jar of wriggling worms. She pointed at the sign on it. Sirius picked up the jar to get a closer look at it. Krystyna almost jumped back when he put it up near his face.

"I wonder if they're sour..." Sirius murmured thoughtfully. Krystyna thought she might be sick if he really bought some. Lucky for her stomach, he sat them back down and looked at the shelves that were eye level to him and higher shelves for her. "Oo, look, Jelly Dogs, I love those things! Padfoot Jr. likes them too; he ate my last bag."

Krystyna giggled and reached for the last bag of the candy on the shelf. She grabbed the top of the bag and pulled them down. When the bag moved, the candy started to jiggle and gave a few barks. She held them at her side.

"I'll get them for you," Krystyna told him. Sirius beamed at her.

"Really?" Sirius replied happily. She nodded her head slowly. "Cool, thanks, Krystyna. Hey wait; now that means I have to get you some candy." She merely smiled impishly. She wanted to get him one last thing before the sixteenth. It was like a going away present. She outside of the open door at the people walking past the store with their friends, idly wondering if he would even keep them after that fateful day. She looked back down at the candy in the bag wistfully while Sirius searched for the perfect candy.

She wiped the tears out of her eyes quickly and looked up at him with a smile when he held out Green Apple Balloon Bubblegum, her favorite--when you blow a bubble, you can either pop it or let it pull you off of the ground. He remembered again. He had a good memory. He was smiling triumphantly, telling her how he had got it right before a Slytherin had gotten it. She laughed when he told her that the Slytherin pouted and had a right fit on the spot.

A Slytherin... She felt as though she might be seen as a Slytherin after the sixteenth. She often wondered where it had first gone wrong. Since her First Year, she had wanted her Seventh Year to be the happiest year of all. And it had started out that way. It had been more wonderful than she had ever dreamed. She had been happier than she had ever been in her life. Now, it was proving to be one of her most miserable years of all. She was going to end it sourly and she would be unhappy for the rest of her life. Not only had her happiness and friends been snatched away from her, but her future dreams. She would definitely not be allowed to follow her dream of becoming an Auror. All her life's work--her grades--her perseverance--her friends--her life--was going down the drain.

Then, a thought came to her. What would Andrew think? She shrunk at the thought of what her younger brother might think of her. Would he think of her like their mother? Would he think she would turn out just like Marlena? She was his older sister--an example--a peer--and here she was, breaking people's hearts like a snap and forgetting who and what she was. She forced a smile on her face when James came over to them, no Snogo Choco Bars in sight.

"What did you get, Prongs?" Sirius asked quietly when they spotted Sara trying some type of candy that was burning her mouth. She asked for water immediately and drained it quickly. Steam came out of her mouth as she relaxed, her tongue hanging over her lips. She closed her mouth when Lily began to giggle at her.

"Oh, some Leaping Lizards, Exploding Lollipops, Fizzing Whizbees, and"--James leaned in a little to Sirius and lowered his voice--"Chocolate Kisses, the revised Muggle candies. Archie had some White Chocolate Hugs, but I liked these better."

"James, you sly dog," Sirius snickered, punching James lightly in the arm.

"No, that would be you," James replied cheerily. They both guffawed loudly, leaving the girls wondering what was so funny. Lily eyed James suspiciously. When he saw her looking at him, he stopped and raised his hands in the air in front of him. "What?"

Lily said nothing to him and looked back at Sara and Krystyna. Peter walked over to them, carrying a bag full of candy at his side. Sara was still waving her hand at her mouth a slowly. Krystyna looked around.

"Hey, where are Lorena and Remus?" Krystyna asked curiously. They stopped whatever they were talking about and looked around for their absent friends. Sirius scratched his head and stood on his tip toes to see if he could see Remus over the other heads. Remus was nowhere to be seen. Sirius stood flat footed again, finding it weird that he couldn't see Remus because he was one of the tallest people, besides him; Sirius was taller than Remus by a quarter of an inch.

"Did you see Remus's head?" Peter asked quietly. Sirius shook his head and frowned. Lily tucked some of her red hair behind her ears and cocked her head, staring at James; cocking her head usually meant that she was deep in thought and couldn't be disturbed. James stared back at Lily rather thickly only until he realized she was thinking. He slapped himself on the forehead and rolled his eyes. A sudden thought hit him upside the head bluntly.

"Oo, maybe they're in the cellar--alone--together--all by themselves," James sniggered impishly. Lily was disturbed by that thought and slapped James upside the head for real. He looked over at her. "What? I was just kidding! I know Lorena isn't like that and Remus isn't that brave enough--ouch, what was that for?!"

"Remus is to 'brave enough'; he just might be considerate of when other people are ready unlike some people I know," Lily told him reprovingly. James started choking on something and waved his hands in front of himself quickly, shaking his head wildly. "And it's cold! This is also definitely not the appropriate place or time."

"James, what have you been doing in that Head Boy dormitory of yours?" Sirius questioned mischievously, grinning broadly. James slapped his hands on his face, slowly pulling them down and groaning. Lily rolled her eyes and smiled lightly while Sirius gave his bark-like laughter. Krystyna grinned a little, but tried not to think about it in any further detail. Sara pulled a half humored/half revolted look on her face, if that was even possible.

Suddenly, Remus and Lorena came into view, walking over towards them. Remus was bent over a little and talking to a somewhat agitated looking Lorena. Her mouth was closed shut and she had a notebook and quill in her hand. Remus was a little red in the face, but that was it. They got to them.

"Hey, where did you all go?" Sara asked calmly. "Sirius said he couldn't see you at all."

"Well, I've been bent over like this for some time," Remus replied smoothly. Lorena frowned at this, but didn't open her mouth to greet them at all. Lily thought that something might be wrong with her when Krystyna asked first.

"Okay, what happened to Lorena?" Krystyna demanded concernedly. Remus exhaled deeply while Lorena snorted angrily, her mouth still closed.

"Well, someone switched the signs on these two new candies. One was candy was called Flaming Figs and the other was Raspberry Rascals. Well, they're both the same colour and shape so we didn't know the difference since they were new types," Remus explained exasperatedly. Lily glanced at Krystyna and they both had that sinking feeling. "You see, Lorena wanted to try the Raspberry Rascals, so did I, but she tried it first and it turned out to be the Flaming Figs. So now, for the next ten minutes, if she opens her mouth, she'll blow fire out of it."

James burst out laughing at the end of the tale. Lily gasped and Krystyna shook her head. It was probably some rotten Slytherin trying to play a joke on someone--and that someone turned out to be Lorena. She was starting to have an off day. James, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying her problems; he was still laughing.

Lorena glared at him and scribbled something brashly on the notebook. She shoved it in James's face and he read it quickly. Krystyna looked over his shoulder to see what her friend had written. So did everyone else when they saw James's eyes widen. It read: If you don't shut up, I'll open my mouth and burn your face to a crisp!!!

This was a second lesson for James on Lorena Fawcett. Lesson #34: After Lorena eats a candy that is dangerous for the people surrounding her, do not laugh or tease her because of it. It could cost you one.

He immediately stopped laughing and nodded his head furiously. She smiled and closed the notebook and dropped her arms to her side. Remus sighed exasperatedly again. "C'mon, let's get going to the Three Broomsticks for some nice, warm butterbeers," he said lowly. "By the time we get there, she'll be normal."

The rest agreed to that and they headed out of Honeydukes with their candy at their sides. They walked through the Hogsmeade streets to get into the Three Broomsticks. It was a little less packed than usual, but that was perfectly fine with them. Sirius and Krystyna went to get the drinks while everyone else went to find a table for them. They walked up to the bar.

"Mm... I've always wanted to try a Fire Whiskey..." Sirius murmured to himself, having forgotten that his girlfriend was standing right beside him. She rolled her eyes; he still was the Sirius Black she knew before she started going out with him.

"Yeah, and get yourself drunk?" Krystyna snickered, grinning at him. He snapped his head towards her and cursed himself under his breath for that. He slapped himself mentally and said nothing further when Madam Rosmerta came over to them, cleaning a glass with a clean rag, her heels clacking on the floor as she walked.

"What'll be?" Madam Rosmerta asked kindly with a smile on her face.

"Eight butterbeers, please," Krystyna replied politely with a grin on her face. Sirius had looked away when he had turned a little pink in the face. They got their eight butterbeers and Krystyna gave her the money that their friends had given her to pay with. They carried the drinks, two in each hand, and sat them down on the table in front of their drinkers. They sat down themselves beside each other.

"You know, Madam Rosmerta?" James said in a low whisper. Everyone nodded their heads. "Peter used to fancy her in our Sixth Year so Sirius tried to set them up." Everyone, except Peter, burst out laughing at this piece of news while Peter turned red.

"I did not, James!" Peter squealed embarrassedly. James shrugged his shoulders, still laughing, and Peter looked down at his butterbeer. Lorena looked down at her butterbeer nervously, moving it on the table uncertainly. Remus nudged her.

"Go on, it's been twenty minutes, I think you can open your mouth now," Remus told her encouragingly, smiling lightly. She smiled at him, glared at James before he could snicker, and looked down at her drink. Everyone seemed to hold their breath and watch her. She looked at them and they all stopped staring at her. She picked up the glass, put it to her lips, and--took a drink. She sat the glass down and sighed, smoke coming out when she coughed.

"Ah, great, now it looks like I've been smoking," Lorena noted, smoke coming out of her mouth every time she spoke. James started cracking up and she frowned at him.

"You're a steam boat!" James exclaimed, chuckling. She smiled at him and then rolled her eyes. She had no idea what a steam boat was, but she tried to act like he was annoying her. He stopped laughing and then looked at Lily. "I said it right, right?"

"Yes, James, you said it correctly," Lily sighed, shaking her head a little. James grinned triumphantly. Lily took her scarf off and sat it in her lap. Krystyna had taken her hat off. Lorena had taken her coat and gloves off, saying that she was still warm from the Flaming Figs, though she kept her hat on, saying that she was afraid steam would start coming out of her ears; James thought that was highly hilarious and so did Sirius. Lorena said nothing to them and turned pink. Soon, they ordered something to eat (can you eat at the Three Broomsticks... hm, now you can) and talked. After a while, they had finished their food, had drunk two butterbeers, and were completely full. Now, they had to split up to get ready for the ball tonight. They walked out of the Three Broomsticks, their winter gear back on.

"Well, we'll see you all at the Masquerade tonight," Lily said with a cheerful smile. James had given her a few Chocolate Kisses and when she kissed him goodbye, she didn't seem to want to stop, much to James's merriment. Sara started sneezing even more and couldn't stop. Lorena would've said "Gesundheit" again, but her teeth were chattering too much. So, Krystyna said it instead. Sara would've thanked her, but she was still sneezing.

"No fun, it's Valentine's Day and we're going to be split up," Sirius pouted grumpily, frowning. "Now the girls are going to attack me because you aren't here by my side." Krystyna smiled at him gently, trying her best not to laugh, and hugged him.

"Aw, poor Sirius," Krystyna sighed, still smiling. "It's okay. I'll see you at the ball and everything will be just fine... I hope." Sirius grinned at her and kissed her goodbye. Peter was chewing some gum that wouldn't allow him to say anything at the moment. Lorena and Remus just sort of stood in front of each other awkwardly.

"Um... I'll see you tonight, I guess," Remus muttered thickly. He slapped himself mentally for saying that; she was going to think he was an idiot. Stupid, stupid, Remus! he told himself in his mind.

"Er... yeah, I guess," Lorena replied shyly. She rolled her eyes at herself. What was she doing? This wasn't her at all. She supposed Remus's shyness was rubbing off onto her. "Oh, c'mere, you know I'll miss you since I can't stand being apart from too long." She smiled brightly and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm hug. Oh, yeah, Remus was just fine with that; he had no problem with it at all.

"Goodbye, be good, see you at the Masquerade!" Krystyna called as she, Sara, and Lorena began to walk away and head for Alicia's Style and Error, a shop where they could get their hair and makeup done. They could also get their masks there. However, they were held back because Lily was still kissing James.

"Lily, are you joined by the lips to James or what?" Lorena blurted out loudly. Lily was still kissing a very cheerful James. Lorena grabbed Lily by the arms and started pulling her away from him. "I'm sorry that I have to tear you apart from your boyfriend and all, but we really have to go!"

She finally pulled Lily off of him and she was still smiling. James sighed, a wistful grin on his face, and waved goodbye to her, jumping up and down and shouting it. Remus shook his head and pocketed his hands. Peter scratched his head bemusedly.

"Give me some! That kiss almost broke my record one!" Sirius said gleefully, extending his hand out to James quickly. James pulled some candy out of his pocket and handed it to Sirius, who dropped them in his pocket. "You should have some Chocolate Kisses candy, Moony. I'm sure you and Lorena would enjoy snogging again." James held some out for him, but Remus shook his head.

"No, thanks, Prongs; I'll kiss Lorena when I'm ready--not because of some chocolate candy again," Remus sighed calmly. James shrugged his shoulders and dropped the candy in his pocket again.

"Suit yourself, Moony, but if you ever reconsider..." James replied with a wicked grin. "You know where to go asking." Remus nodded his head and then sighed.

"C'mon, let's go to Zonko's now that the girls are gone!" Sirius exclaimed happily. They all ran for the joke shop quickly, Peter in last place as usual. They weren't going to go until they were going. As Lily had said, the boys were procrastinating. They were going to wait until the last minute to get their dress robes and mask; they had no intention of taking a long time in getting prepared.

~*~

They were on their way when to the store when Sara had another coughing spell. Lily looked at her worriedly. Usually, she didn't get that sick, but she looked a little worse than usual. When Sara finally stopped coughing, she stood up straight and blinked.

"You know what, I think I'm going to head--" Sara's voice had suddenly become very raspy and quiet. She cleared her throat. "I think I'm going to head--" It did it again. She frowned and cleared her throat again. "I'm going to--" She growled impatiently. "I'm going back to Hogwarts. I don't feel--feel--feel good at all right now. Actually, I feel worse than usual. Bye."

"Try to get better, okay?" Lily said worriedly. They all said goodbye and Sara walked away from them slowly. When she disappeared from sight, Lily sighed. "You know, Sara's voice never goes out like that."

"Maybe it was that tonic she had two days ago in Potions," Lorena thought out loud. Lily and Krystyna glanced at her nervously. "Well, c'mon, everyone knows that Narcissa Black got into Potions by some amazing miracle and because she wanted to be in the class because Malfoy was still in it. She's not that bright in Potions. She probably did it wrong. Sara said she felt a little funny yesterday, remember?"

"Yeah, she did say that," Krystyna replied calmly, looking at a concerned Lily. "C'mon, Lily, it won't be something terribly drastic. It's not like she's going to die or anything. Madam Pomfrey will fix her up in no time at all."

"I suppose so..." Lily muttered under her breath. Krystyna smiled gently at her.

"Let's hurry up now; we don't want to be late and miss the carriages back to Hogwarts," Krystyna said with a grin. Lorena and Lily nodded their heads and they headed for the store again. But as soon as they saw the doors of the store, they ran right into some Slytherins--Lucius Malfoy, Nate Zambini, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Severus Snape. Lorena had bumped into Lucius and she jumped back quickly.

"Gross, sickening, I've been contaminated!" Lorena shrieked wildly, shaking her head. He turned around to face them so they turned around. Krystyna immediately looked in the other direction. He was going to be the one she was marrying! She suddenly felt very queasy.

"Well, look who it is, my Death Eater cousin and her Mudblood friend," Lucius taunted smugly. His group behind him all started laughing at his joke. Krystyna knew that Lily was probably fuming.

"Lily is not a Mudblood, you egotistic prat!" Lorena yelled at him furiously. "And I'm not--and never will be--a Death Eater! If you don't shut up, you're going to have a foot shoved up your arse."

Krystyna was seriously hoping that he would keep talking. She didn't like him being around. She felt very uneasy. Well, anyone would feel uneasy around the guy that you hated and was forced to marry. It didn't help that he freaked her out a little still.

"Krystyna, you're going to dance with at the Masquerade, right?" Lucius said conceitedly, grinning (evilly) at her. She forced herself to look at him in his gray eyes and glared heatedly. She smirked and shook her head.

"Yeah, right, in your dreams, Malfoy," Krystyna replied calmly, crossing her arms across her chest and still shaking her head serenely. Malfoy leered at her and she frowned again.

"Which will soon be reality," Malfoy noted evenly. His cronies laughed while Krystyna's glare hardened and her frown deepened. He was teasing her on such a serious subject. It was light for him. He was happy about it. She could not believe him. He had no heart at all. She looked away from him. Lily glanced at her friend quickly and then back at Malfoy to glare.

"You know, that dance with me is still up for grabs, Lorena," Rodolphus prompted, raising his eyebrows and grinning smugly.

"And it still is," Lorena replied angrily, "because I'm not taking it."

"Oh, yeah, that's right; you're going to dance with Loony Loopy Lupin!" Rodolphus chuckled. Everyone behind him burst out laughing. She glared at him and then walked forward, getting in Severus Snape's face. He immediately stopped laughing.

"Were you laughing at me?" Lorena questioned calmly, frowning deeply. He shook his head wildly. "Are you so sure about that because it looked like you were laughing at me to me?" He nodded his head. "So you were laughing at me, you admit it." He shook his head furiously, terror in his eyes. "You just admitted that you were laughing at me yourself! Make up your puny mind and get out of my face, Snape!"

Severus jumped back immediately and fell on his bottom in the snow. She smiled pleasantly and walked away from them, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, Rodolphus grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. That was a terrible mistake.

"C'mon, you know you love me," Rodolphus whispered in her ear. She rolled her eyes; idly wondering why all of Lucius's smug, idiot, sadistic friends liked her. She groaned, frustrated.

"Yeah, I love to hate you," Lorena replied. "This is for grabbing me"--she stomped on his foot and he let go of her--"this is for being annoying"--she kicked him in the shin--"this is for getting Remus in trouble in Potions"--she pushed him back--"this is for saying what you said"--she smacked him--"and this is for making me faint in your lap in the first place!" She kicked him in butt and he fell in the snow.

"Leave us alone!" Lily yelled at them. Krystyna almost did a double take. Lily yelled at them. Wow, James was going to be sad that he had missed it. The boys walked away and Rodolphus staggered to stand up and run to catch up with them.

"Now do you hate me? Please, hate me, Lestrange!" Lorena called hopefully. When they disappeared from sight she turned around to them. "He's not going to hate me."

"Nope, he's just going to like you more," Lily sighed sadly. Lorena slapped herself in the forehead and groaned unhappily. "C'mon, let's go inside. You'll forget about everything once we get there." They went through the shop doors and saw that Krystyna had been right. Most of the girls from Hogwarts were already done and out of the place. While Lily set their appointments up, Krystyna looked at the masks and Lorena looked at all of the makeup products.

Lorena hadn't seen so much makeup since she'd been at the Malfoy Manor when she was forced to let Estella do her hair and makeup for the Christmas dinner. She kept picking things up and holding them out to Krystyna.

"What's this? What's this? What's this?" Lorena had been picking up a few things. She picked up some tube. She dropped the tube when her eyes landed on something that looked foreboding to her. She picked up something that looked like a shot to her. "Bloody hell, what's this, Krystyna?"

Krystyna looked over at her and raised her eyebrows. She had never seen something like it and then she remembered something she had seen in one of Marlena's magazines. "Um... botox, I think," she replied uncertainly. Lorena's eyes widened at it.

"What's that?!" Lorena demanded fearfully. Krystyna couldn't answer her; she had no idea herself. She didn't like it either. Personally, she thought makeup had nothing to do with shots. Lily came over to them, hearing part of their conversation.

"Like Muggle botox?" Lily asked Krystyna curiously, cocking her head a little. Krystyna looked at her and then shook her head slowly.

"No--well, sort of--but it lasts and it doesn't have as many side effects," Krystyna replied, thinking about what she was saying. She wondered if she had gotten it right. Lorena's eyes widened even more, if that was possible.

"Side effects?!" Lorena squealed frightfully. She sat the thing down immediately and took a few steps away, as if she was afraid that if she got poked with it, she might die. She started to look at the masks with Lily and Krystyna, deciding that that would be much safer to do while they waited to be called on. She saw an odd looking one and pointed at it. "Oo, that one's weird looking!"

"What colour is your dress, Krys?" Lily asked vaguely while she looked at the masks.

"I was forced to get black, but I picked it out--for once," Krystyna replied, looking away from the masks and over at Lily, who looked at her.

"Really, mine's white," Lily noted calmly. She looked back up at the masks and so did Krystyna. They were trying to find the one they wanted before they got their hair and makeup done.

"Oh, you're a true Gryffindor, Lily; I wouldn't have dared white, even if my mum and aunt--and cousin--would have let me," Lorena said coolly. Lily grinned and Krystyna giggled, both still looking at the masks in front of them. "I'm wearing a red dress because I like the colour. Oh, sure, my mum and aunt--and cousin--had a right fit when I told them I bought a red dress. They were like, 'Green, for your eyes!' and they forgot to mention because it was Slytherin colours."

Lily and Krystyna chortled and then Lily spotted a white mask she liked. "Oo, look at this one," she said happily. She put it down at put it across her eyes. "Tell me, how does it look?" Krystyna and Lorena looked at her. Lorena cocked her head.

"Good," Krystyna said truthfully.

"Interesting?" Lorena added indecisively. Lily took the mask off and raised one eyebrow at her. Lorena raised her hands up in front of her. "What? I was being truthful. It doesn't look bad on you; it's just that I'm not used to seeing you wear a white feathered mask over your eyes like some Muggle superhero." Lily smiled at her and looked at herself with the mask on in the mirror. She laughed herself.

"You can call yourself... the Magician, girl heroine with magical powers!" Krystyna snickered, adding onto what Lorena had said. The girls laughed all together and Lily took the mask off. "It looks good on you and it'd probably match your dress." Lily smiled and left to pay for it. Lorena took a red mask down on and looked at herself in the mirror with it on. She cocked her head and then turned to Krystyna.

"Okay, tell me straight up--no lying now, Krystyna; I want the truth even if it's harsh," Lorena told her firmly. "Does this say 'mysterious yet somehow proverbial', 'sophisticated and yet exuberantly fun', or is it 'sweet, sexy, and salsa'?" Before Krystyna turned around she burst out laughing because of what Lorena was saying. What did it matter to her? When she turned around she saw a wild red looking mask.

"I think it says, 'crazy and strange taste'," Krystyna chortled, giggling uncontrollably. Lorena took the mask off and started laughing along with her. She put the mask up.

"Gotcha, I wouldn't wear something like that all," Lorena laughed honestly. "That's something for like Bellatrix Black. No wait; this is more her." She picked out a dark purple mask on and Krystyna burst out laughing when she turned around.

"Yeah, you're right, that says 'I'm crazy, strange, and evil; like me or die!'" Krystyna sniggered. Lorena chortled and put the mask up. Krystyna pulled a green mask down and put it on. "Look; I'm Narcissa Black! What do you think?"

"Oh, yeah, it speaks to me, 'I'm prissy, I'm preppy, and I'm stupid!'" Lorena guffawed loudly. Krystyna laughed and put the mask up. Lorena actually picked out a red mask that she might actually wear. "What about this one?" Krystyna turned around again to see that it wasn't crazy, but soft and dark red.

"Not bad," Krystyna said, nodding her head. She was holding a black mask in her hand. Lily walked over to them. Lorena looked at herself in the mirror.

"It think it says 'fun and mysterious, but with a sense of familiarity'," Lorena noted, trying her best to sound serious. She smiled and took it off when Lily said it looked good. She took off to pay for it quickly and Krystyna tried on her mask.

"Ooh, pretty," Lily exclaimed, looking at her closely. Krystyna looked at herself in the mirror.

"You think?" Krystyna asked. Lily nodded her head. "I thought it looked rather silly, but I like it. I think I'll go buy it." Krystyna walked away to buy it and Lorena came back. They talked for a bit. Krystyna came back with the bag at her side.

"Lorena Fawcett!" some lady called.

"Yeah?" Lorena replied loudly, looking everywhere for who had said her name. Her eyes finally landed on some young woman with curly blond hair, chewing a piece of bubblegum calmly.

"It's your turn, girl," the young woman noted calmly. Lorena sighed and traipsed in the woman's direction. She glanced at the needle she had picked up earlier and then at Krystyna and Lily.

"I'm going to die," Lorena whimpered. "I'll invite you to my funeral and don't be late." She went into the back room with the young woman where they did your hair and makeup.

"Poor Lorena, she hasn't ever been to a salon and makeup stylist place before," Krystyna said wistfully, shaking her head. Lily sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't expect her to," Lily quipped thoughtfully. "I mean, she spends half her time threatening people, sticking up for us, sulking around the place, and being a chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and the other half doing her homework, going to class, sleeping, being exceedingly exuberant, and being really nice. She has no time to put makeup on or get her hair done."

"Lily Evans!" another woman called. Lily smiled at Krystyna and walked away towards the woman, leaving Krystyna all alone. She sat down in a seat and began to think. She wanted to look her best at tonight's ball and she had no idea what she wanted. She supposed she could let the woman who did her throw out suggestions and she could pick. Yeah, she liked that better. She wanted to look and feel her best.

"Krystyna Melanie!" a lady called out. Krystyna stood up and walked over to her quickly, having no one to say goodbye to. The lady smiled gently at her and started saying what she would like to do to her hair as they went into the back room where everyone else was. She smiled when the woman said something she really liked. She looked over and saw Lily getting her red hair conditioned. Lorena was sitting in a chair alone while her hair stylist was getting some things, her brilliant bright blond hair slowly drying and flipping out on the ends; it did that when it dried naturally. Krystyna sat down in a seat and listened to the woman talk to her. She slowly began to wonder if this was going to work or not.