The Complications of Falling in Love with your Best Friend

Chapter Fourteen - Dance the Night Away.

I will tell you how the sun rose - how we could with a word become one.

~ ~ ~

The Great Hall was buzzing with contented chatter and relaxed laughter when Sirius, Remus and James entered. Dinner was underway and they slipped unnoticed into their seats. One long table had been set up for all the seventh-years to dine together, while another ran parallel to accommodate the younger students. The teachers were, for once, looking relaxed and were talking animatedly together. James, who was sitting opposite Remus, suddenly looked up.

"Ah, Lily," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Certain things need to be clarified here."

Lily came to sit next to her boyfriend. She held up her hands in mock surrender. "I have nothing to declare but my genius," she said, grinning.

James rolled his eyes but didn't protest. "Women," he muttered.

Lily punched him on the arm. "At least you're all friends again," she said.

"Yeah, listen, thanks a lot Lily... really." Remus gave her a smile.

"Ditto," said Sirius nodding.

"See," said Lily, prodding James' arm, "that's politeness."

"Ok," sighed James, enjoying winding Lily up, "I guess I'm grateful too."

"So you think I'm a genius and it was a good idea of mine to lock you all up and I have vastly superior brain power and I'm amazing and you love me?"

"I think you're an interfering, meddlesome, manipulative female who tricked me despite my vastly superior brain power..." Lily opened her mouth to fling back a retort. "... But I'm glad you did, and yes I love you."

Lily closed her mouth.

"Now let's eat," said Sirius impatiently. Everyone obeyed this command and immediately began helping themselves to the vast array of steaming dishes.

An hour later, when all that could be eaten had been eaten, Dumbledore stood up and called everyone to attention.

"Now that your hunger has been satisfied I will take this opportunity to wish you all a pleasant evening. There are only a few hours to go until Christmas, so I will say: may it be a good one and may your presents be plentiful." He smiled. "But for those of you here," he continued, more seriously, "I hope you will also take the time to show gratitude to all those who deserve it and take the opportunity to be thankful for what you have. May this Christmas be a time of beginning new friendships and strengthening old ones. And remember, though you may feel the goodwill of the Christmas season, it does not suffice to make these efforts simply because it is Christmas. This day is often taken merely as an annual excuse to say all those things one should have said on every other day of the year." He paused. "So may it be that all those things one should have said before are said now and are said many times again." He smiled as he surveyed the hall. "Thank you, and good night."

Remus looked over at Sirius and James and raised his eyebrows.

"Wow," said James. "That was deep."

"Very deep," agreed Sirius.

"He's right, though," said Lily.

"Dumbledore's always right," Sirius pointed out.

"True," Lily said, smiling.

"What happens now?" asked Remus, craning his neck to see above the mass of pupils.

"Well the lower years go back to their towers, and the seventh-years stay here to set up the dance," explained Lily. She pointed to the walls. "All of the decoration is already up, we just need to re-arrange the tables and set up the stage for the band."

"And then?"

"Then... we dance."

***

"No, absolutely not." Remus shook his head vigorously and crossed his arms. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to dance."

Sirius put a hurt look on his face. "You're ashamed of me, is that it?"

"No, idiot," said Remus scowling at the dancing couples, "I just don't want to dance."

Sirius pouted. "Please?"

"No."

"Come on, please, please, please?"

"No, dammit!"

"Fine then," sighed Sirius, "drastic measures will have to be taken." And he took out his wand. "Remus, you are bloody well going to dance with me or I will personally see to it that you are cursed most severely."

Remus' eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I?" Sirius grinned wickedly. "Either you dance with me now, or I Tarangatella you and you can dance like that."

"I hate you."

"And I love you too, now come on."

Grudgingly, Remus stood up and took Sirius' hand. "If I make a fool of myself..."

"... You can hurt me," Sirius assured him.

"Oh yes," said Remus grimly. "Pain... Lots of pain."

Sirius grinned and dragged Remus to the dance floor.

It wasn't all that bad. It was quite an upbeat song so people could bop along without feeling too self-conscious. Remus was, however, dreading the next slow song.

"Hey," said Sirius suddenly, pointing at a couple on the dance floor. "Look..."

Remus looked. "Oh," he stated.

"Yeah." Sirius looked back at Remus. "Do you think they're...?"

Remus frowned. "Looks like it."

Sirius grinned. "I hadn't noticed."

Remus grinned back. "They were always sitting very close together though weren't they?"

"Well if by 'close' you mean practically on top of each other, then yeah."

Remus looked back over. Nathalie and Jocelyn, Lily's two friends were dancing together. This wasn't too remarkable, as many girls without partners were dancing with each other. It wasn't uncommon for girls to dance together in close vicinity without there being any romantic or sexual connotation. However, when Jocelyn leaned over to kiss Nathalie quite decisively on the lips, there wasn't really any room for doubt. Remus wondered how he hadn't noticed before. Probably because he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts and dilemmas. It heartened Remus to see the girls together, kissing in the middle of the dance floor while other couples twirled past, oblivious. There were some muffled whisperings and surprised glances but no protests or jeers. Smiling, Remus turned back to face Sirius who quite unexpectedly leaned in and kissed him.

"Not that I'm complaining," said Remus wryly, "but what was that for?"

"Well I don't think it's fair that everyone else is kissing but we're not."

Remus looked around. "Sirius, no one else is kissing."

"Whatever," Sirius said dismissively. "They soon will be."

"Why is that?"

"Because," Sirius pointed to the stage where the band was striking up their next tune, "it's a slow song now."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, slow dances is when people start to get all emotional and say loads of mushy stuff and by the end of it everyone's snogging."

Remus shrugged. "I'd failed to notice that."

"Never mind," said Sirius, pulling Remus closer. "Let's dance."

Still feeling self-conscious, Remus put his arm around Sirius' neck, and the other round his waist. It wasn't too bad. All they had to do was sort of sway on the spot and take a few steps here and there. In the end, Remus forgot he was dancing in the middle of the floor with couples all around him. He was just moving to the rhythm of the music, lulled into a soothing tempo as he held Sirius close and blocked out everything else.

"Remus?" whispered Sirius.

"Hm?"

"You know, earlier..."

"Earlier when?"

"In the Room of Requirement..."

Remus thought he knew what Sirius was about to say. "What about it?" he said, voice catching.

"I meant it," said Sirius. He took a deep breath. "I do... you know... love you."

Remus grinned into Sirius' chest. "I love you too."

As the music ended with a soft tremulous note, true to Sirius' prediction, couples were kissing all across the vast expanse of the Great Hall. And in the midst of all these couples, two very love-struck boys danced on, oblivious to the rest of the world.