Wildest Dreams | A James and Lily Love Story ✅

Chapter Thirty-Seven - Slughorn's Christmas Party

Marly:

Following on from my chat with Lily, I have to stop myself from grinning like an idiot all night, and at 7 p.m, thanking Merlin that we have no homework, me and all the girls go up to our dorm in Gryffindor Tower, Lily included.

Slughorn's party starts at 8 p.m, and Lily and I have to get ready for it. While we slip into our pretty dresses, and do our hair and makeup, and now slightly tipsy Alice and Mary laugh at us, loving the fact that we have to waste our night sucking up to Slughorn while they get t relax and have fun.

Hell, I can't even get drunk at this party because alcohol isn't around! Help!

The only relief I have is the fact that today, while in a rather compromising position, I managed to get my unwilling boyfriend to agree to accompany me to this party!

Haha! After managing to escape them for years, I am finally making him go to one! I do feel rather evil, but that feeling is quickly estinguished upon remembering the years and years that he laughed at me after having gotten out of going to this full Christmas party, and that small piece of guilt quickly disappears.

James:

The girls leave the common room, leaving myself and the boys to get ready.

Moony smirks evilly at us, having worked his way out of an invitation in second year by damaging Slughorn's favourite cauldron in attempt to escape.

Wormy is quite quiet, and I think that maybe he feels quite left out, but then I remember what a drab that this party is said to be and then I just brush it aside.

Pads grumbles endlessly as he unwillingly puts on his dress robes, saving his suit for tomorrow (mostly because he doesn't have one as we still have to sneak into Hogsmeade!).

"I can't believe she got you to go to this mate!" Moony says laughingly, and Pads glares at him stonily. "Oh haha!" he says sarcastically before moving over and positioning himself right in front of the mirror, where he will likely preside for the remaining half an hour that we have left before the party.

"At least I got some while agreeing to this! Prongs, why are you doing this mate?" he asks, parting down his hair with great care.

"Mum." I reply simply, straightening down the front of my dress robes. "She told me at the start of the year to be love and go to this sort of shit. You get the gist!".

"I got roped into this anyway!" Pads continues to grumble, bad he stays that way until we eventually leave to meet up with the girls.

I have to spend time with Lily tonight. Merlin, I just made that sound like a chore! But...it's hard. Being close to her, I mean.

I'll start distancing myself after Christmas, I can't bear to do it now.

We walk up to Gryffindor Tower, where we meet the girls. They come out of the staircase at exactly five minutes to 8 and...wow. Just wow.

Lily appears in this fabulous bright red dress that is form fitting while flowy at the same time. She looks absolutely incredible.

And Marly...she's wearing this slim fitted black off the shoulder dress that is stunning. Simply stunning.

Padfoot's jaw drops as he takes in his beautiful girlfriend.

I have to hold mine tightly in place to stop it from doing the same thing, and instead I just smile at Lily.

"You look...amazing!" I compliment, and she blushes, only making her even more beautiful. "Thanks!" she shyly says back, 'You do too!".

"Puh-lease!" I laugh, "This is hardly any different from my school robes!". "True!" she nods, and then I offer this gorgeous girl my arm and we lead the way out of the Gryffindor common room, Marly and Sirius following behind.

I compliment Marly on her dress as well, and she grins in return, and we happily make our way to Slughorn's enlarged office.

Slughorn's office has been enhanced to ten times it's normal size, and there is a massive Christmas tree standing in one of the corners of the room.

There are little lights hanging everywhere, and a large rectangular table is set up at one end of the room, and I know that is where the dinner shall be held later on tonight.

Now I know why people say that Slughorn always goes over the top!

The man himself dawdled over to us, his large body covered in the ugliest green material I think I have ever seen, but nevertheless I follow Lily's lead and smile at him as he approaches.

"Hello everybody! Welcome to my little get together! I hope that you shall enjoy your night Miss Evans, Mr Potter, Miss McKinnon and...oh! Mr Black! This is a very welcome surprise!" Slughorn says, shaking each of our hands in turn and shaking Padfoot's even harder.

"Well, I must go and socialise with others - you know I have many friends here this evening - but hopefully I shall get around to talking to you later! Goodbye now!" he finishes, taking a sip of his drink and smiling at the lot of us before walking over to an old, angry looking man with a toothbrush moustache. Oh wait, that's Mr Crouch!

Well doesn't he look awful! Merlin, I haven't seen him since that DISATROUS 'bring your child into work' day that occured 10 years ago. My dad had brought me in to the Auror office and it just so happened that there was a meeting with Mr Crouch, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, going on at that time.

My dad had to go to it, and he made the mistake of leaving me in his office with a toy and some sweets. After about an hour and a half, however, my innocent seven year old self got a little bit curious, and so decided to go exploring.

I'll not go into any details, bit let's just say that I can tell you with all certainty that if you cause Mr Crouch's robes to turn pink and his hair to turn blue you get in a lot of trouble with your father!

I give him a sort of half smile and pray that he doesn't remember that incident. Thankfully he doesn't seem to as he smiles back.

I then turn my attention to everyone else to the room. "Oh look! There's old Bathilda Bagshot!" I say to Marly, nudging my head in her direction. "Bloody hell! I haven't seen her in about a decade!" Marly says, and I nod in agreement.

"And look, there's Amelia Bones! Ooh, and Daisy Meadowes! Shush, shush... she's coming over!" Marly whipsers to me, and we both smile as Daisy and Dorcas Meadowes, with Dorcas being a member of the Slug Club, and we begin to speak with them.

"And your parents are all doing a fine job!" Daisy says, complimenting us on our parents' Auror abilities.

"Oh, that's good!" I say, and soon the conversation ends and we begin to mingle with Amelia Bones, an important Ministry member.

Lily and Sirius are off to the side chatting to someone else, and as soon as we finish up with Amelia, which isn't for a while as she is quite the talker, we head over and join them.

Soon dinner is ready, and we all take our seats and the brightly lit, very long table with nametags at every place. Marly and Sirius are seated separately to Lily and I, which is annoying, but it could be worse because we got seated beside a pair of Hufflepuffs on one side and Ravenclaws on the other.

Lily and I chat away with them, only stopping when Slughorn stands up to make his big ling speech about honour and all that, if you'll forgive my language, shit.

I doze off, and Lily has to nudge me once Slughorn ends his speech and we clap politely, before digging in to the delicious feast laid out in front of us which appears at the click of Slughorn's fingers.

Just like magic!!

I enjoy a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and Lily does the same. Glancing down the table at Marly and Sirius, I see the pair of them doing exactly the same thing.

Marly and Sirius are sat beside Professor McGonagall, and I can only imagine what they are talking about...

Sirius:

Marly and I are chatting away with Minnie G and, to be honest, I am having a much better time than I expected!

"Anyways Purrfessor, I-" I begin to say, trying to slip my funny little pun in there as subtly as possible when Marly snorts loudly and then bursts out laughing.

Minnie G doesn't look too amused.