The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Dirigible Plums

Dirigible Plums

It was the day of the Yule Ball and all the upper year students were running about in a frenzy. The girls were shrieking and running from dorm to dorm upstairs, magicking their hair into tall updos and fancy braids with bits of tinsel wound throughout. Lily and Annalee had snuck Marlene and Pandora into their rooms so they could help Pandora and Ali prepare for the ball. Sirius meanwhile had taken to a roost on the back of the couch, watching everyone scramble about and snickering at how nervous they all looked. Frank Longbottom, for example, was pacing left and right, wringing his hands.

"Do I look alright?" he asked Andy Woodhouse for about the hundredth time.

"Spiffing," Andy answered. He reached out and straightened the bow tie at Frank's neck, "Positively spiffing."

Frank wiped his hands across his dress robes to rid himself of the sweat.

It was nearly time - the sun was setting and the last of the rays were coming in through the high windows, and all the boys had gathered about in the common room near the portrait hole, nervous and shuffling and doing last minute touch-ups to their styles. Then the clock chimed on the wall and there came the first of the girls - it was Carly Shaw and she was wearing a short pink dress with flowers across the skirt. She smiled, her hair in a bun. She came down the stairs and Andy Woodhouse grinned widely as she approached. One by one, the girls descended the stairs - Pandora Jenkins came down, wearing a purple gown with stars on it, followed by Ali Prewitt in a mustard yellow dress with a maroon bow that wrapped round her waist. Frank's eyes widened at the way she looked and he stumbled over his own two feet as he ran forward to offer her his hand.

James turned from where he was sitting behind Sirius's roost, kneeling beside Peter on the couch. Lily came down and sat on the arm of the chair where Remus sat reading his Astronomy book. They all watched as the older students (and Ali) climbed out of the portrait hole, careful for their lovely dresses and hair. Marlene waved to Lily as she helped Pandora through and Lily waved back. When the portrait hole had closed, Lily sighed, "Oh I hope Pandora's nice to Xenophilius!"

Sirius looked 'round at her. "What's that?"

"Xeno's just put so much of his hopes into this! He's been asking Pandora out since their first year," Lily said pointedly, "And here they are in their fifth and she's only just now agreed to go with him!"

James's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"I just really hope it goes well. He's put so much hope in this and she really likes him, deep down, I'm sure of it... She's just scared to like him because, well, he's not exactly popular, is he? Oh, I just hope that she sees fireworks."

"Sees fireworks?" Sirius repeated. He'd tuned out somewhere in the middle of Lily's little explanation, but he tuned back in with a peaked interest at the word fireworks.

Lily nodded, "Sure. You've heard the saying, haven't you?"

Sirius shook his head.

Lily looked quite surprised. "Well, I suppose it's a muggle saying.. They say the first time you kiss somebody you really like... if the kiss is really good... you see fireworks."

"Why would you see fireworks?" asked Peter, looking up.

"Because it's magical!" Lily said, "And fireworks look magical to a muggle."

"Well that's stupid," James said. "Fireworks don't have a bloody thing to do with kisses!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "It's metaphorical, you unromantic swine."