The Sparkling Diamond of Hogwarts

Chapter Two: Rehearsals

James Potter dashed quickly down the marble steps, half jumping them, half running. He hadn't fallen asleep easily last night from thinking about Lily, and so he had slept in since no one woke him up.

He was almost at the entrance to the Great Hall when he had to stop suddenly. He had bumped into Lily.

"Oh, sorry, hi, good morning, that was a great performance last night." James blurted. Lily gave off a soft giggle at how odd James was acting, which made him turn red as her hair from embarrassment.

"Ya, good morning, and thanks, I'm glad you liked it." She replied with that kind smile James knew and adored so much. James stared at her and looked at how she looked just slightly different. Her crimson red hair had been undone from last night's dazzling curls, and her soft white face was back to normal, without a sign of make-up. She was wearing her usual plain black robes, instead of last nights extravagant dress, and absolutely no jewelry, unlike the gold bands she had been wearing. But however she looked, she was beautiful in James' eyes, as well as in everyone else's. She could never love me, James thoughts thinking of the reflection he saw everyday in the morning of a tall thin man, with his untidy hair.

"You have a beautiful voice," James suddenly said, noticing she was beginning to realize he was staring at her.

"Oh thanks. Well, I have to get going, and I'm sure you do too. The bell's about to ring. Bye then."

"Oh, uh, right, bye." James replied as he followed Lily with his eyes as she slowly walked around him. A few moments later the bell rang. "Uh-oh..." James dashed into the Great Hall and then to the Gryffindor Table where he picked up a piece of toast, and then going to the end of the table where a piece of parchment was laying. He picked up the piece and skimmed it quickly.

"Uh, I've got Charms first, I'll never make it..." he groaned, biting into the toast. Before shoving the paper into his bag and taking off at a run, biting into the toast every few minutes. Eventually, he made it panting to the Charms class, where the young Professor Flitwick stood on his pile of books, still taking the roll.

"Lily Evans?" he called.

"Here," replied Lily's sweet voice.

"Lauren Combs?"

"Here!"

"Christian Dunce?"

"Here."

"Natalie LaRue?"

"Present!"

"And James Potter, which I see has just arrived. Take a seat Mr. Potter; I'll let you off with a warning this time since it's the first day."

"Thank you, Professor," James replied, as he looked around the room for an empty seat. To his surprise, the only available seat was next to Lily. His palms began to sweat, and his face began to turn red again as he hesitated.

"Take your seat please, Potter, we don't have all day." Professor Flitwick said, seeing James just standing in the doorway. His brain was sending signals to his legs, but they wouldn't obey, they just stood paralyzed. "Mr. Potter, do you heat me?" asked the tiny Professor again.

"Oh, yes, sorry, Professor," James replied. From fear of getting detention, his legs had been shocked awake moving quickly to the seat beside Lily.

"Hi," Lily whispered to James when he sat down and Professor Flitwick had turned to write a few things on the board, "So I guess we meet again." James smiled back to see the girl of his affection talking to him instead of him talking to her.

"Yep. I guess that-" He was cut off as the door opened, and Lily's attention was turned away from him to see who had come in. James looked at the entrance too and saw a thin, greasy-haired boy. None other then Severus Snape.

He stared directly at Lily and James, with a cold grin on his face. Obviously something was about to ruin James' moment of joy with Lily, disguised as a messenger boy. Snape went straight to Professor Flitwick, and kept staring at Lily and James with his crooked smile all the time he whispered to the tiny man.

"Ms. Evans? You're wanted in the Great Hall. Something about a rehearsal?" Professor Flitwick announced when Snape was through telling him the news. Lily quickly gathered her things, but before she left, she turned to James and whispered.

"I'm sorry I have to leave. Maybe next time?" Her smile glowed on her face once again as she said goodbye to James and left the room with Severus.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Why do you keep looking at me that way?" Lily complained, as she gently tucked a strand of hair neatly behind her ear, with a disgusted face at how Snape was behaving.

"You're a very pretty girl, Lily. Especially in a dress. Why don't we ditch your rehearsal?" He replied sleekly, with a devious smile on his face. Lily reacted suddenly, without thinking, just at being treated in such a horrid way, and slapped the boy. And she slapped him hard. Snape recovered slightly, with his hand to the spot where Lily has slapped him with an astonished look.

"And what was that for?" Excuse me?, Lily thought, Who does he think he is?

"It was for being a pervert!" She yelled, as she stormed away, leaving him stuck in shock in the middle of the corridor, both of them in disbelief and what had come out of Lily's mouth. Lily couldn't stop thinking about it, and nearly didn't notice that she had almost missed the entrance into Great Hall. She had to double back, and quickly change her appearance to her usual happy self, instead of the angry upset one she had on now, which she managed to do as she entered the Great Hall.

"Why, here she is! Our little Sparkling Diamond!" Boomed Mr. Dorien as he saw Lily enter, in a perky voice, one Lily had never heard come from his mouth.

"Sparkling Diamond?" Lily asked with a confused face.

"It was the nickname of the woman who first sung the song you sang last night at the Moulin Rouge, France, about a century ago."

"You mean the song wasn't original?"

"Well... there are a few things changed from the original, but generally, yes. You know... You look somewhat like her. I don't know, maybe it's just your hair. Hers was red as well, nearly the same color from the pictures I've seen."

"What was her name?"

"Hmm?" asked Mr. Dorien, as a boy came up to him and showed him a decoration. Mr. Dorien approved it, and the boy hurried off. "Oh yes, her name. I believe it was Satine."

"Oh... That's a lovely name."

"You really think so? I've never really liked it. Oh, look at the time! We've wasted some of it by jabbering on about someone who died ages ago! Quickly lovey, get changed into whatever Marie has done from the dress you'll be using." Lily thought the director was acting somewhat like Severus. Calling her such a disgusting name as lovey. She still did as she was told though, trying to ignore the wretched name, and walked to a door that was behind the staff table, where the dressing rooms had been set up. She opened it, and found herself in a long hallway, full of doors with different names on them. Hers was easy to find, it was the one with the name on a star that had been painted on the door. The very first one.

She entered, and found a short blonde woman sowing a dark blue dress.

"Marie, I need the dress right now for the rehearsal." Lily said.

"Oh, but Lily, dear, it's not quite done yet!" Marie argued.

"Dorien doesn't care, he said whatever you have done."

"Well I can't really give you this to wear! I haven't started on the bottom and your, well.... Bottom will be shown!"

"Oh, no... That's not good...Well, do you at least have the original done?"

"The original! Of course! It's over here in the closet. I'm so glad you remembered it, it's perfect for this!" Marie, stood up, and carefully put down her materials, before walking to a closet that was on the right wall. She dug in it through all the clutter of clothes, and found a dress similar, yet different, to the one she was making. She came out of the closet and handed it quickly to Lily, before sitting back down. Lily stayed in her position, holding the dress.

"Marie?" she implied.

"Oh, right, right, sorry, I'm a bit out of it today." The woman said as she walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her, giving Lily some privacy to change, which she did fairly quickly. When she came out of the room, and the hallway of dressing rooms into the Great Hall, everyone was glad to see her.

"Lily! What took you so long! Hurry, get on the stage! We're behind schedule and we don't want you to miss all your classes! Someone get the girl a script!" The boy whom had shown the decoration to Mr. Dorien early, shyly gave Lily a thin script, that really wasn't a script, but more of a music sheet, about five pages long.

"Alright now, everyone, since the Sparkling Diamond's trapeze is being magiced at the moment, Sa- I mean, Lily, will have to sing the song standing. Alright Lily, you may begin, from the top. Lily nodded, glad to be called the Sparkling Diamond.

"The French are glad to die... for Love!" Lily began to sing in her enchanting voice, but was suddenly cut off by the voice of Professor McGonagall.

"Stop!" she boomed from the entrance of the hall.

"Excuse me, but we're in the middle of a rehearsal." Replied Mr. Dorien annoyedly.

"Pardon me, but we need the hall now to feed the students. You must leave at once."

"On who's orders?"

"Dumbledores. Leave now or you might jut be fired." The man looked at the angry Professor with loathe and complete hate at being talked to in such a manner. Who was she to speak to him like that? No one, that was it. She was no one. It didn't matter, he could always rehearse at night.

"Fine. We'll leave. Everyone! You heard the woman, prepare to leave. Lily, darling, please change. I suppose you have to eat lunch here too. Oh, and tell Marie not to rush on the dress, she has plenty of time." Lily nodded, before glancing at McGonagall with fear in her eyes, she could see a fierceness in McGonagalls that truly worried her. She was obviously upset about something.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

James slowly moved the peas on his plate around with his fork. He had a sad look darkening his face.

"Hi," he heard someone say in front of him. He looked up suddenly and caught himself face to face with Lily and her usual smile.

"Hey!"

"Did I miss anything in charms?"

"Well, not really."

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want this performance thing to ruin my grades!"

"Ya, I guess not..."

"Lily!" called Mr. Dorien from the entrance of the Great Hall. "Come now, deary, we have to looks over some lyrics with you!"

"Looks like you're needed again..." James muttered in a depressive mode, turning his attention back to his peas.

"Uh! This isn't fair! I haven't even eaten yet!" Lily yelled back, not noticing the state James was in.

"Bring your food with you! And hurry!" Without giving Lily a chance to argue some more, the man turned sharply and left, forcing Lily to have to obey.

"I guess I have to go then..." she said to James.

"Yep..."

"Meet me in the Charms room tonight." She said, unexpectedly.

"What?" James asked in shock.

"You heard me. Meet me in the Charms room!"

"I can't do that!"

"Of course you do! I'll see you tonight then!" She turned, just as Mr. Dorien did without letting James say another word. It seemed James would finally get the time he wanted with Lily after all. Or would he?...