I Loved You More

First published: August 29, 2004

Suggested music: "#41" by Dave Matthews Band

Chapter Six

Dipping and Spinning

The last days of term were always met with a certain amount of anticipation but this year, there was no comparison. No one could concentrate in class, if they even bothered to try, and the teachers were growing weary of attempting to hold their students' attention for longer then five minutes at a time. Most of them had given up and let them do what they please, with the obvious exceptions of Professors McGonagall and Rynda.

Talk of the dance was on everyone's lips and there was a feverish energy in the air.

Finally, the morning of the long-awaited event arrived. Even nature seemed to rise to the occasion: up until that very day, dull shades of brown and gray had coated the grounds and the trees had been bare and skeletal. Not a trace of a snowflake had been seen in the bland gray sky. But at sunrise on the day of the dance, early risers in the school were overjoyed to see big fluffy snowflakes drifting down about the castle, tenderly tucking the dreary world under a fuzzy white blanket.

This was an added bonus to the already festive atmosphere. Anyone who paused for a moment to gaze out a window felt a tingle of youthful excitement, whether they were an old, white-bearded professor or a small, hopeful first year, itching to throw a snowball.

Many of the students did just that. After breakfast, a mob of them rushed outside, resulting in a snowball fight that was sure to go down in history. They spent hours scrambling around, chucking handfuls of snow at each other and hastily building shelters.

Lily, Summer, Tara, and Di wisely forged a group of allies with the majority of the Gryffindors and became a major force. They had the biggest fort and for quite awhile, they met no competition. Then a certain group of boys destroyed the thick walls of the fort with a flick of a wand and attacked, tackling everybody with no mercy.

At first, there was wild confusion but soon people began fighting back, only to find that these boys had no thoughts of weakening. Most ended up sliding away as stealthily as possible in fear of getting a chunk of snow shoved viciously down the backs of their cloaks. Even brave Gryffindors have their limits.

Only Lily, Tara, Summer, and Di were left, gallantly wrestling away with all their strength, the spitefulness toward their enemies empowering them. They were so engrossed in preventing defeat that they were quite oblivious to the hours that had passed. Finally, Lily paused to catch her breath after a long struggle against Sirius and glanced at her watch.

"Damn! It's later than I thought! We have to get inside and get the Hall ready for the dance!"

Summer, who had continued what Lily had started, was in a tousle with Sirius, Di was fighting off Remus and Tara had Peter in a headlock and was been about to give him a nice whitewash when Lily brought them all back to reality.

Lily looked around to see where James had gone and saw him standing behind her holding a giant chunk of snow over her head. Lily slapped at it and it shattered in James's face. She laughed triumphantly as they all heaved themselves up and trudged back to the school, panting in post-battle exhaustion.

Remus and Peter left them at the dance committee room and headed toward the Gryffindor Tower. The rest of the committee was already there, so they grabbed the plans and materials and walked down to the Great Hall to prepare it for the dance.

* * *

"Ready to go blow our dates away with our ravishing beauty?" asked Tara, laughing.

The four girls were up in their dormitory getting themselves ready, having finished decorating the Hall. Although they may not actually "blow their dates away," they all looked very beautiful.

Lily wore simple dress robes of a glimmering shade of emerald green. She had pulled some of her red locks away from her face with a clip, revealing her flushed cheeks and shining eyes.

Summer was dressed in sky blue robes that matched her eyes. Diana had her curly hair held up in a bun with little spirals of brown framing her face and dangling around her ears. Her robes were pale yellow, thinly lined with white lace. Tara's robes were a brilliant shade of scarlet, coordinating with her flaming personality.

They had rolled their eyes at the girls who had giddily tittered their way through the corridors for the past few weeks, casting not-so-discreet looks at boys through their eyelashes but the truth was, the four of them were thrilled with the prospect of the dance.

They skipped down to the common room where Sirius, Remus, and Edmus O'Connolly waited among several other nervous-looking boys. Sirius, looking exceptionally handsome in his dark blue robes, immediately linked arms with Summer and they strolled off together, chatting comfortably.

Tara followed them so she could meet her dates in the Entrance Hall. She still hadn't been able to decide which one to go with so she had accepted both Ivan and Harvey. Lily doubted they knew that they were going to have to share Tara but she looked forward to seeing their reaction.

Edmus looked shyly at Di and mumbled a compliment before they climbed awkwardly through the portrait hole.

Remus, dressed in robes of deep red, gave Lily his warm smile.

"Hello," he said slowly. "You look very pretty."

"You look nice, too," replied Lily politely. "Shall we go down?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Off they went, following a trail of other Gryffindors, who were talking and laughing loudly ahead.

"So, I reckon you're excited for the dance," said Remus, after a pause.

"Yeah, but I have to admit I'm very nervous about the whole thing. After all the work we put into it, I really hope it goes well," said Lily.

"There's no doubt that it will with you in charge," he said kindly.

"Thanks, but I won't be able to completely relax until it's over," Lily laughed.

They reached the Entrance Hall, where a crowd of students had already assembled, beckoning to each other. Tara had found Ivan and Harvey--they were glaring daggers at the other behind her back. Neither one seemed to want to back out after learning that they weren't Tara's only date, preferring partake in a fierce struggle for her attention. Though she didn't show it, Lily knew Tara was watching them and inwardly rolling with laughter.

As Remus and Lily stood waiting to be let inside the Great Hall amongst the bustling throng of students, they were fully occupied with the task of greeting all their friends and their dates.

Couple after couple passed by and chatted briefly: Rye Jordan and Gwyneth Stevens, Frank Longbottom and Alice Philips, Anna Linde and Jamal Brown, Jack Spinnet and Marlene McKinnon, Benjy Fenwick and Paulina Barry, Andrew older sister, Sylvia McDavid and Gideon Prewett, Linesa Richards and Gideon's little brother, Fabian.

They also saw some people who weren't so friendly: Bellatrix Black and her date, Chad Nott, Nolminta Meliflua, and Delilah Avery with two other Slytherin boys. She was vaguely glad not to see any signs of Severus Snape so that James and Sirius couldn't make a scene and spoil the dance.

Lily noticed that Mina St. Clair was with Stanley Abbott, Nellie Murray was paired with Rodney McNeil, and Stacia Campbell was on Nick Farley's arm but all the girls seemed to be scanning the crowd for someone else and were too absorbed in this to pay much attention to their dates. Lily wondered momentarily who they could be so anxious to see but her thoughts were interrupted by the doors of the Great Hall slowly swinging open.

A series of shocked but delighted gasps and met Lily's ears and she saw many jaws drop--just as Tara had sought after.

The Hall was truly magnificent. The board had voted on the Winter Wonderland theme. Everything was white and glittery in the candlelight, charmed to sparkle like real snow. There were dozens of little round tables decked with silky white tablecloths, big red and white bouquets of flowers, and silver dishes. Giant fir trees lined the walls, decorated with clouds of twinkling snowflakes, shiny blue ornaments, and tinsel. Snowmen placed among the trees and tables sang Christmas carols in unison in merry voices.

Icicles and holly covered everything and enchanted snow fell from the ceiling past flickering candles floating in large clusters above the tables, dance floor, and stage. The dance floor was made to look exactly like an iced pond in the middle of the floor and the stage, where the Burning Pumpkins and their equipment stood preparing to make music, was frosted with glistening flecks of snow. Altogether, it was a breathtaking sight and Lily was thrilled by their success.

The students and teachers all settled down at the quaint little tables and enjoyed a very satisfying dinner. Lily and Remus's table was very tightly crammed because of the large group of people who had squeezed in a chair at odd places. They sat with Summer and Sirius, Edmus and Di, Tara, Ivan and Harvey, Peter, who had failed to find a date, and James.

James had shown up a little late in dark green robes looking cheerful as usual but most definitely alone. Lily was struck by how odd this was when she considered all the girls who would think their life complete if James was their date. She wouldn't have believed James's ego would permit him to come alone.

Had Lily been one to spare many thoughts on herself, she may have realized exactly why James was single that night. She might have noticed his eyes sneaking longing glances of at her all through dinner. But, as Lily hadn't a speck of arrogance, she never dreamed that she was the only girl James Potter had any desire to dance with.

When they all finished eating, the band began to play the first song. A few people went boldly out onto the dance floor. Sirius led Summer out and Tara brought both Ivan and Harvey with her. Before the song ended, almost everybody was dancing.

Lily danced in a group with her friends during the fast songs and when a slow song began to play, she would find Remus and revolve slowly in a circle with him, feeling a little dumb but very happy just the same.

She was very pleased to see that everything was going according to plan. The only thing that didn't was predictably due to James and Sirius, who had charmed the snowmen to lob snowballs at passersby. She decided to overlook them and even laughed at the prank, especially when one roguish snowman hit Bellatrix square in the face, causing her to shriek maniacally.

The dance was almost over when Lily, Summer, Tara, and Di found their way back to their table for a break. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Edmus, Ivan and Harvey quickly joined them and they all relaxed for awhile, talking and watching their classmates dance vigorously in their multi-colored robes.

"Looks like our dance is a hit," said Sirius proudly.

"The Hall looks brilliant," agreed Edmus, his big eyes looking at his surroundings with approval.

"I think the snowmen are the nicest touch," averred James solemnly.

"Another slow song is starting," said Summer, turning to her date. "Do you want to sit this one out?"

"Never! Let's go dance, m'dear!" cried Sirius, as he jumped up and seized Summer's hand.

"You danced with Ivan last time, Tara. It's my turn," said Harvey earnestly.

"No! It's definitely my turn!" argued Ivan.

"Hmm...I can't remember. I think it was Ivan. Wait, no, it was Harvey. Actually..." said Tara, gravely contemplating with a twinkle in her eye. "I don't know. I guess I'll have to dance with Harvey for the first half of the song and Ivan for the second half," was her logical solution.

She guided Harvey out to the dance floor. Ivan followed closely to make sure he got his turn. Then Edmus took Di's hand and led her away, leaving Lily, Remus, Peter and James at the table. Lily looked to Remus but it was James who spoke up.

"You know, I really like this song. I think I'd like to dance. How 'bout it, Evans? You don't mind, do you, mate?" he asked with all his graceful charm and an appealing grin.

Remus just laughed and shook his head. James grabbed Lily's arm and quickly pulled her out of her seat and onto the floor. She sighed but decided not to waste energy objecting. Besides, she wasn't in the mood to be cold and dignified.

Her new dance partner twirled her about playfully and let her fall into a dip. Lily found herself laughing in his arms without really thinking about what was happening. She imagined what people were thinking at that moment when they saw her dancing in such a goofy way with none other than James Potter. What a scandal.

Then Lily looked up into his face. He smiled down at her, that big, lone dimple in his left cheek deeper than ever. Everybody else and what they were thinking immediately disappeared from her mind. It was so easy to relax while dancing with James that she just let loose, something Lily didn't ordinarily do. All of her worries and anxiety slipped away. She became oblivious to the filthy looks she was receiving from girls like Mina St. Clair and immense surprise on her friends' faces when they saw her.

She amazed even James when she gratefully rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling the music inside of her. He was secretly wondering how this could be happening to him and how she was managing to keep her head from bouncing off his chest when his heart was beating so fiercely.

But he didn't mind. Not at all.

James wished the song would last forever so he wouldn't have to let her go. But, in what seemed like seconds, the song ended and he forced his arms to drop to his sides. Lily seemed to awaken from some sort of dreamlike state. She lifted her head and thanked him, looking a little dazed. Then she walked back to the table and sat down next to Remus.

To be sure, he felt like he must have been dreaming himself. Everybody was acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Which was insane--his world was spinning in circles. It didn't seem right to go on with everyday life after being close so to Lily Evans. Nothing could ever compare that. Would he ever feel content again?

Around James, students continued to dance, not noticing that it was nearing midnight. Nor did they notice when the doors of the Great Hall opened and a man, pale and harried, rushed in. He scanned the Hall, quickly spotted Dumbledore, who was waltzing with Professor Alenas, and wove his way toward him. The mysterious man whispered something in the headmaster's ear before leading him out of the room. A moment later, Dumbledore returned, his face unreadable, and said something to Professor McGonagall in undertone.

Then he vanished.

McGonagall's eyes widened and she sat, motionless, for a few minutes after the headmaster's departure. Then, shaking out of her reverie, she stood up, just as the Burning Pumpkins finished the last song of the evening.

The students, unaware of what their teachers were up to, clapped and cheered for the band. McGonagall waited for the chaos to subside before stepping onto the stage and motioning for her students to take a seat.

"I am very pleased about the success of this event and would like to recognize our wonderful band, the Burning Pumpkins," she said, her voice shaking. "I would also like to thank Lily Evans and the dance committee for working so hard to put it all together."

A roar of applause erupted; Lily's table in particular went wild. The professor waited for them to quiet down again before continuing.

"Now--it is my duty to inform you of some terrible news."

She paused and took a deep breath.

"Diagon Alley has been attacked. It cannot be said how many have died yet but the number is looking grave. As of now, I do not know the details of who's responsible. Professor Dumbledore has just gone to assist the Ministry. I am afraid that the wizarding community is in great danger."