The Truth Behind the Veil ✔️

Ultimatum

"Will you go to the Slug Club party with me?"

Lily was standing by the main sofa of the Common Room, wringing her hands, lip stuck between her teeth as she waited for an answer.

"Well of course Red, you know you didn't need to ask." Sirius winked.

She scoffed looking at the boy pointedly. "I was asking Potter."

James sat up, gawking at her, his hazel eyes comically wide in disbelief. "M-Me?"

Lily nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. "Yes. I need a date and well, I can't go with Severus anymore..." she paused, pain filling her emerald eyes, "And well, Remus is already planning to ask someone, and Emmeline Vance asked Pettigrew so..."

Sirius' head snapped over to the brunet boy. "You're gonna ask someone?"

Remus blushed, scratching his face where a slowly healing scar lay. "I was thinking about it," he muttered.

"Who?"

"That's—not important," he turned quickly to the bespectacled young man. "James, I believe Lily asked you a question."

"R-Right," James stuttered in shock, scrutinizing Lily Evans to see if the whole thing was some sort of joke. "You mean it?" he asked. "You want to go with me?"

Lily looked as if she was already regretting her choices but nodded again. "Yes, as friends," she stated firmly. "If you even begin to get flirty I will kick you out Potter."

He nodded, swallowing harshly. "Of course, I promise I won't try anything Lily."

"Good," she stated, "I'll see you then."

Fawn watched the exchange with a smile. Lily had been talking to her for a while about possibly giving Potter a chance, as friends, she was very firm on that part. She justified this by saying he had been very sweet this year, especially when she was in the deepest part of her grief and he stood by her side without wavering. He was a good guy, and hadn't asked her out once that entire year. Maybe hating Potter wasn't worth it anymore.

"Hey Fawnie!" Sirius called when he realized the girl was standing a few feet away watching the whole thing.

She walked over to the boys with a smile. "What's up Sirius?"

"Go to Sluggy's party with me?"

Fawn laughed loudly causing him to frown. "Sirius, neither of us are even part of the Slug Club. Besides, I'm sure someone else wants to ask you."

Sirius smirked. "Fair enough." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Do you know who's planning to ask me?"

"Maybe," Fawn answered back with a smirk, "Though we both know it's not my place to say."

Of course she had noticed the tension between two of the Gryffindor boys over the past couple months but was not about to out either of them or get in the middle of what could easily become a difficult situation. That was something they would have to figure out on their own.

*****

A few days had passed, it was the morning and the Gryffindor girls were getting ready to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. All four girls had spent a substantial amount of time talking about Lily's choice to take James Potter to the party which she tried desperately to play off as if the whole affair was no big deal but of course, it was.

Alice was going with a Hufflepuff boy in their year as friends since Frank had already graduated the year before. Although she did claim she'd just spend time with Lily and James most of the night.