She's the Girl | A Marauders Love story

Chapter 18

The Halloween dance

Hailey sighed as James sneezed, causing her hand to slip, messing up her mascara. He was sitting behind her with his arms around her waist as she did her makeup for the Halloween dance, but he kept moving and messing her up.

"James, babe. I need you to stop, please."

James put his head on her shoulder and pouted.

"Why? Am I annoying you?"

"No, but I need to finish, and you're making it hard. Please just stop moving."

James nodded.

"Got it."

"Thank you." Hailey turned back to the mirror.

"Just to clarify, am I allowed to eat food while you're getting ready?"

"James!"

~~~~~~

Hailey walked into the girls' dorm and sat on her bed. Marlene looked up.

"I thought you had forgotten where this dorm was."

Hailey laughed mockingly.

"Yeah, yeah. I need my eyeliner, do you know where it is?"

"Yes, but you have to finish getting ready with us. James can last an hour without you."

Hailey nodded.

"Deal. Now, where is it?"

"Under my pillow."

"Marlene!"

Marlene shrugged.

"I wanted to hang out with you. And, I have to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"I'm dating this boy, and I really like him. The problem is, his parents won't like me."

"Don't tell me it's Avery."

"What? No! It's Gideon Prewett."

"And you really care about him? It's more than just a fling?"

Marlene nodded again.

"Then I'm happy for you! He's cute, and if he cares about you, he won't let his parents' screwed-up opinions get in the way of your relationship."

"You really think so?"

"If he wants to be with you, then he'll find a way to be with you. He's coming to the party tonight by the way."

Marlene laughed.

"I know that, Hailey. How are things with you and James? Are you going to tell him soon?"

Hailey nodded.

"I don't know when though, I guess when it feels right."

Marlene smiled.

"I'm happy for you two. Good luck with that, by the way."

~~~~~

"Sirius, what do you do if you think you love someone but you don't know how to tell them, because you're not sure whether or not it's too soon, or if they feel the same way? Hypothetically, of course." James looked at Sirius, who chuckled.

"Is this about Hailey? Who am I kidding, of course it's about Hailey. Your whole life is about Hailey at this point. I think that if you love someone, you should just tell them. Don't take them for granted and keep that a secret."

James nodded thoughtfully.

"Have you and Remus said you love each other?"

Sirius shook his head.

"I don't know if he feels the same, and I don't want to ruin our relationship. We're already rocky enough sometimes, I don't want to add unrequited feelings into the mess."

"Mate, you literally just told me I should say it no matter what, that I shouldn't keep it a secret."

"Yeah, but I'm a hypocrite. It's great advice, you should definitely listen to me, I'm just not going to."

"How about, I'll tell Hailey I love her if you tell Remus you love him."

Sirius thought for a second, weighing his options.

"Deal."

There was a knock on the door, and Hailey stuck her head in.

"It's time to head downstairs, are you ready?"

James nodded and stood up. He looked Hailey up and down.

"You look nice."

Hailey blushed.

"Thank you."

She was wearing a blue spandex suit and leg warmers with pink high heels and a headband. James was wearing an open, blue leopard print shirt with light blue shorts and loafers. He had gelled his hair to look more plastic, and Hailey had pulled hers into a high ponytail and dyed it blonde with a spell that Marlene had taught her. Sirius rolled is eyes at the two of them.

"You guys are disgustingly cute, I want to barf."

Hailey laughed and pulled James toward the door.

"We'll see you and Remus later. Bye!"

They both waved to Sirius and went to the common room where they met up with Lily, Marlene, and Gideon as well as Fabian and his date. Then, the group headed down to the Slytherin common room to pick up Regulus. After everyone had their dates, they headed up to the Great Hall.

Hailey gasped as they walked through the oak doors. The hall had been transformed for the dance, and looked amazing. The ceiling, with its usual candles, showed a calm, cloudless sky at sundown. The tables had been moved against the walls and filled with food, and there were smaller, circular tables by the door where people could sit. There were pumpkins and other gourds in the corners, and fairy lights along the walls and across the ceilings. The hall felt like it was out of a dream, and Hailey stopped walking to take it all in. James stopped and put his arm around her waist, staring around the room. Hailey finally broke her gaze away from the room and looked at her friends, who had stopped as well.

"This is different." James commented.

Lily nodded.

"It looks-"

"Magical." Regulus finished. He and Lily looked at each other and blushed slightly before looking away. They had gone as friends, but everyone knew they both wanted more. The only problem was, the people Regulus had to spend the rest of his education with would be more than happy to report to his parents if he started dating a muggle-born. Because of this, Regulus and Lily had decided to just be friends for now, with the occasional kiss here and there.

James led Hailey to an empty table and sat down next to her. She looked at the people in the room. About half of the fourth through seventh years had arrived, and more were arriving as she looked around.

Sirius and Remus walked through the doors and approached Hailey and James.

"Looks good in here." Sirius commented. Everyone nodded and he smiled at them.

"Who's ready for a party?"