The Summer Party, Gryffindors and associated idiots.

[Lily Evans]

It was a rare occasion when the Gryffindore girls donned party dresses. It was a rare occasion, these days, that they had any real fun at all. It wasn't rare that they drank too much, or mulled over their misfortune or plotted to help defeat Voldermort, but hell, none of these things seemed to involve party dresses, and Lily didn't like this one bit.

She also didn't like the fact that summer had seemed to pass with very little progress on their side, and alot of progress by the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. It seemed everywhere they turned there was murder and the mists that came with dementors and yet the Order was still laying low, and most people were too scared to look too far and find them. Most people were much too terrified to help the good side. It was better to keep your head down and keep walking.

But Petunia was at her friend Sylvia's house, and she would be there for a week. Lily didn't like to make her sister feel uncomfortable,a nd so had attempted to keep the amount of her friends stopping by to a minimum, however, when Tuney was gone it was fair game, and her house was probobly the safest place there was at the moment, apart from, well, Hogwarts.

And Lily had found a very nice black party dress. She had taken full advantage of being of age, shortened it by magic, made the straps go the way she liked them, raised the neckline just slightly so that what was previously a little too revealing was merely sexy and classy and she was ready to dance, should dancing take her fancy. Her feet were numbed happily by magic, so she couldn't feel the pain that her heels would ordinarily induce. She hoped her friends would give up being scared and dance with her, if just for a night. Her hair hung long and red about her back, with white lace tied through it.

She had even jinxed a fair few bottles of butterbeer to look like firewhisky. She had heard a whisper that one of their friends was trying to kick the habit, and hell, the only thing worse than not drinking was having everyone ask you pointedly why in Merlins name weren't you drinking.

The vast living room was decorated with flowers and streamers in oranges, reds, pinks and yellows, a subtle nod to the order of the phoenix. Lily had taken to showing solidarity and a comittment to the cause whenever she could, in however fruitless manners until she could actually do something useful.

There was a knock at the door.

"Password?" Lily called, standing on the other side of the door, and grinning, leaning her back against it.

[Kate Sanderson]

"Password?" Kate reiterated on the other side of the door. "No one told me you had to have a damn password to get into this shin dig. It's Kate, Lily, and if you don't open this door in about three seconds to let me in i'm going to sit here on your front stoop shouting to the world about the massive crush you have on a cert- oh hello dear, you look... ravishing." She said as the door was jerked open. "Sorry, but i didn't know we had to know a password. Rachel sent me a cryptic letter with time/place/ and attire. I think i was lucky to get that much." She said shuffling in and hugging Lily somewhat fiercely. Or as fiercely as she could with her shoes in her hands.

What? She wasn't going to walk all the way from she and Sirius' apartment in heels. She didn't enjoy blisters on her feet. "Sirius should be here in a few. I wasn't going to ride on that contraption. Not that it's not fun... but... i didn't want to mess up my hair." She admitted a little sheepishly.

As it was, Kate was extremely excited to see all of her friends for the first time that summer. Other than some lewd and lively letters {ooc: god, is the alliteration killing anyone else?} from Rachel, she hadn't really hung out with anyone other than Sirius thus far. Not that THAT was a problem. She looked around and whistled lowly, "Wow Lils, you've outdone yourself. Is there anything i can help with last minute?" What was she talking about? As if Lily EVER did anything last minute.

Kate flipped out of her sneakers nonchalantly and buckled her heels into place. A blush coloring her cheeks prettily. Her dress was red, satiny material. It complemented her dark hair, and hugged her curves. She actually HAD curves. The first time she donned the gown, nearly two years ago, it hadn't looked nearly as good. She had her hair down, but instead of the slightly mussed loose curls that usually framed her face she had replaced them with elegant waves.

"Seriously Lily, you look hot, anyone your trying to... impress? Seduce? Dazzle?" She asked with a laughing tone and slight wiggle of her eyebrow. That wiggle made it perfectly clear she was talking about a certain marauder with windblown hair. This was going to be SO MUCH FUN!

[James Potter]

Do it. Just do it.

That's what Padfoot had been telling him. It was so strange. After years of pining and chasing after Lily Evans, when there was a chance that he could make her his; James choked. He absolutely choked. He had not a bloody clue what to do with himself. After having her and loosing her and then thinking that he'd never have her again, it was all too much it seemed. And then it was all too little. It was too big and too small. It wasn't enough for James to just walk up to her and say, 'Lily Evans, will you please do me the honor and be my girl?'.

No. That question, that statement would no longer be enough. He had to show her, prove to her, that after all the time he'd spent longing after her that she wouldn't just be getting a little fling with him. No. James Potter loved her. And he was going to prove it to her. Even if that meant that he wasn't going to rush in to asking her out every time he saw her. Though that always got harder and harder as time passed. She grew more beautiful each day. Each day that she wasn't his....Oh Merlin. He swallowed as he approached her doorstep, dressed in something a bit more than casual. He was donning black, sleek slacks and a dark red silk shirt, pinstripes going down. He attempted to comb his hair but as ever, that was useless. He knocked casually on the door, before calling out simply, "Lily, it's me. James."

In his hands he was carrying not the usual alcohol of choice amongst the little gang of friends, but a bottle of expensive red port wine that he had gotten at the little muggle shop around the corner. He felt that, dressed as he was, that the occasion called for something a little more classy and a good deal more elegant. So, he knocked again, hoping he wasn't too late or too early. He knew that Sirius wasn't here yet, but maybe Kate or Rachel or any of the other girls had shown. Hell, maybe Remus was here already. He was always punctual. He took a deep breath and told himself to relax. Through out it all, he was still James Potter and she was still Lily Evans. Nothing could ever change who they were.

[Lily Evans]

"Hello there stranger." Lily greeted Kate, her face lighting up insanely at the sight of her friend. Kate seemed chipper, and she knew why. A night of dancing and madness was exactly what the girls needed.

Right on cue (otherwise known as when Kate said the word 'dazzle' in what was obviously a tone meant to playfully mock) James Potter's voice came through the door and while Lily blushed at the coincidence she also looked at Kate and burst out laughing. This was going to be a good night. She felt certain. Although now that there was expectations of awsomeness they would all have to leap them.

She went to the door, and opened it, trying with all her might not to notice the way that his hair stuck out at odd ended, or the curve of his lips into a smile or the way his eyes seemed to grin at her in a way only James Potters eyes could. She tried to make her stomach stop flipping about.


"James!" she threw her arms about his neck and kissed him on the cheek willing Kate into silence in her mind and hoping that she looked good.

"I must say you both do a spectacular job of keeping in touch." she said, sarcastically but with a smile on her face. She closed the door after James, and went into the kitchen to get them all glasses.

[Kate Sanderson]

Kate laughed good humoredly at James' timely appearance. As soon as Lily opened the door Kate took a very keen interest in straightening out her dress while actually watching the scene in a very nosy manner. Lily certainly was... affectionate this evening. At Lily's comment about keeping in touch, Kate wrinkled her nose distastefully. "You have James to blame for that." She announced, pegging it all on the boy in front of her. "I've been moving into my new apartment, and it was all James' idea." She said, looking over at the boy and breaking into a grin.

James and Kate had never had the best of relationships, but knowing that they both had one major thing in common helped them begin to forge that gap. They both wanted Sirius to be happy. And they both realized that the other was important if they wanted that to happen. So at some point last year they both decided to swallow their pride and bury the hatchet. No matter how painful it had been in the beginning, it seemed to be paying off pretty well.

"Wine? For me?" Kate said walking over to him and snatching the bottle playfully out of his hands and looking it over critically. It was awkward enough being in the room with the two of them, but being able to feel the tension that WASN'T palpable along with the tension that obviously was... it got a little overwhelming. So... she decided she was going to do something about it, at least until everyone else got here.

Leaning her head on his shoulder (he was tall enough that she could do that) and looking straight at Lily with a mischievous little glint in her eyes. "If i didn't know any better, i'd say that you were trying to seduce me Mr. Potter. I don't think Sirius would like that very much." She ruffled his hair a bit, though it barely made a difference. "What kind of girl do you think i am, Potter?" She passed the bottle of wine to Lily and gave her a nudge forward as she passed her.

"I think i'm going to write you a very long, detailed, scathing letter telling you exactly how hurt i am about that presumption. And i'm going to do it in Lily's room... and i won't come down until i've proof-read it like a hundred times. Did i mention that i make TONS of spelling errors. I might even have to look up some of the words." She said smiling the whole way up the stairs. "You two have FUN!"