Hey everyone! this is my first post ever so please be gentle! i have plans to develop it into a longer story in the future so keep posted!

Enjoy reading! xxx cheers Merryn

P.S I do not own any of this, it was all J.K. Rowling's wonderful creation! (Except for my own characters and plot and stuff, that was all me)

This year at Slughorn's party Lily is determined to get Sam Neuton to FINALLY notices her and ask her out, but fate has something else in store for Lily, with stray dips and some unexpected lips, it's sure to be an interesting night!

Slughorn's Party

The lights were out in most of the school. All was dark but for a few dimly lit corridors leading the way from each of the four house rooms up to the seventh floor corridor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabus and the Trolls.

Lily Evans walked hesitantly along a sixth floor corridor, not quite lost, but definitely unsure. She had walked this way many times before on her way to charms class (her favourite class) but it was approaching midnight and the castle had a habit of looking mysterious after dark. Lily turned left down a flight of stairs that lead all the way down to the dungeons. The lights were out on the staircase and you could barley have seen three feet in front of you.

"Lumos" she cried, voice shaking slightly as she spoke.

As the tip of her wand lit up and spread across the stairwell, it became apparent that there was someone else standing on it. A boy, no more than 17, was leaning leisurely against the banister, with apparently no intention of moving any time soon. This person remained unnoticed by Lily Evans, who continued her attempt to locate the Room of Requirement.

"It's back the other way" the boy in the shadows said nonchalantly,

At the sound of his voice Lily immediately spun round to find none other than Remus Lupin, a 7th year Gryffindor, leaning casually against the stairs.

"Didn't you see the lights?" he asked, in a tone that clearly implied that he thought you would have to be stupid to not have noticed them,

"Umm… No" Lily responded tentatively, "To which lights exactly are you referring?"

"Those lights" Remus replied, matter-of-factly, pointing to the ceiling lights of the corridor Lily had just left.

"Oh," said Lily, just as she realised that the lights had been leading the way; lighting only those corridors which lead to the party. Lily had been thinking about James (something she wouldn't care to admit) while walking down the corridor and had turned off without really looking around. "Thanks," she said sounding rather defeated, Lily hated to be wrong.

"Going to Slughorn's party are you?" Remus asked as Lily began to make her way back up the stairs,

"Yes actually, I am" Lily responded very proudly. Lily was rather good at potions (second in the class behind Severus Snape) and liked being one of the special people who Slughorn thought worthy of being in 'The Slug Club', even if he did think it amazing she was such a good witch, despite being muggle born. Lily knew from Sev growing up that not everyone was as accepting of muggle borns as people like Dumbledore, but regardless, she took it all in stride. It helped a lot that she was great in all her classes and, disregarding the unfortunate blemish of her school timetable that is Transfiguration, an all-round impeccable witch.

"Say hi to James for me" Remus continued, "He'll be there waiting on you hand and foot." The last part was said with a smirk, and although she knew it was a joke (or at least partly a joke) Lily's face couldn't help but fall.

Lily, having finally found the way to her desired destination, reached the seventh floor corridor a little after quarter past twelve. Lily had only passed this corridor a few times, as it was out of the way of most of the classrooms, but she was sure she had never seen a room big enough to fit 30 or more students, not to mention food or a stage, as Slughorn suggested. Nevertheless; Lily continued toward the tapestry of Barnabus and the Trolls, and upon reaching it stood in awe of the magnificent site before her. A grand marble archway, easily 15ft tall and nearly 10ft wide, opened onto a room about the size of The Great Hall, decorated in all four house colours. Banners of scarlet and gold, ribbons of silver and green, streamers of blue and bronze, and balloons of yellow and black were everywhere you looked; long wooden tables packed with all sorts of exotic food lined the walls; and a stage sat raised above the floor against the back wall. Strobing lights of red, yellow, orange, blue and green lit up the dance floor as the band played, and people ate, danced and socialised.

Lily spotted Alex and Gracie right away, Alex was off in the corner snogging her Hufflepuff boyfriend 'call me Mike', and Gracie was chatting up some Ravenclaw 6th year with red hair. Lily decided to just let her friends be for awhile, after all, you don't want to get in between Gracie and her younger guys or Alex and her boyfriend.

Lily saw Sam Newton lounging near the drinks table and made her way over. Lily had been crushing on Sam since 4th year but had never plucked up the courage to ask him out. He was alone so Lily decided that tonight would be the night that he finally noticed her. She had gone to Hogsmeade on the weekend with Alex and Gracie to pick out a dress and spent the past 3 hours getting ready (that was why she was so late). She started to walk over there but stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw Serena 'Man-stealer' Stevens making her way over to him. Lily begged and prayed that she was just going to get a drink, but there was no mistaking the look in her eyes – she was on a man-hunt. Lily turned away, she didn't want to see this, but not before Serena began eating Sam's face with such ferocious determination you'd have sworn it was made of Chocolate.

After that Lily wasn't really in the mood for guys anymore. Lily had had a few boyfriends before; Frank in 4th year (before he started dating Alice); Daniel in 3rd year (before he started dating Marissa); she even dated Sirius Black for a while last year, and an amazing kissing as he was, it just didn't work out, just like the rest of them, just like Sam. So now Lily was in the mood for a guy-drama free night of partying, food and general social mingling. Unfortunately for her, waiting by the drinks table with a tray of assorted dips was the far-too-good-looking-for-his-own-good-but-still-avoid-at-all-costs James Potter. Lily turned to move away but it was too late.

"Lily!"

Damn! Lily thought

"Hey Lily wait up," James Potter was now following her as she attempted to weave her way through the crowd.

"Lily, wait up!"

"What?" Lily cried as she stopped and turned to face James as she always ended up doing.

Apparently James had not expected her concede to his pursuit quite so quickly and so was rather surprised at her sudden halt, as a result he found himself colliding with her and covering her with the dips, spilling them all down her dress and in her hair.

"Oh My God Lily I am so sorry!"

"JAMES!" Lily's voice echoed throughout the entire room, causing everyone to stop and look at the source of the noise.

"Lily what happened?" Alex had apparently stopped snogging her boyfriend for long enough realise the Lily was now covered in pink, green and orange goo. "Are you okay?"

"Are you kidding!"

"Lily please calm down"

"Calm down? Calm down? I'm wearing our appetizers! And you expect me to calm down? Oh I'm going to murder you James Potter!"

"Lily it wasn't his fault" Alex cut in while attempting to stop Lily from lunging at James.

"Not his fault? Not his fault? Of course it was his fault!"

"But he said he's sorry!"

"So sorry Lily, I am so sorry!" James pleaded,

"I don't want to hear it James" Lily said on the verge of tears

"It's only a bit of dip" James said with a laugh,

"Only a bit of dip?" Lily says as she slowly approaches James, "Only a bit of dip? Do you have any idea how much this dress costs? Or how long it took me to put on my make-up?" Lily cried, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. "No James, this is so much more than 'only a bit of dip', this, this, is the final straw." Lily said backing away and turning to run out of the room crying.

Lily sat against the bathroom wall hugging her knees and crying silently. Why oh why did James anger her so? She knew he liked her, and she was starting to think she liked him too. She found herself smiling whenever he was around and every time she yelled at him she felt so guilty afterwards.

After what happened tonight he'll never like me again, how could he? I was so mean to him.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke Lily away from her thoughts.

"Gracie?" Lily asked the seemingly empty hallway outside the Girls' Bathroom.

"No Lily, it's me."

"James. What are you doing here?" Lily was so surprised, and relieved, to see him. So he doesn't hate me!

"I am so sorry" James said, crossing the floor to where Lily sat and sitting down next to her.

"I know," Lily replied.

"Can you ever forgive me?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't know James, I honestly don't know." Lily said shaking her head. "I like you James; I do, but it just so hard! I see you smiling and I think: maybe this time I'll say yes; but then you inevitably do something completely stupid and it's back to square one."

"I like you too Lily, a lot. I mean a lot a lot. I really, really like you." James says as he slowly leans in, their lips moving closer and closer together with every passing breath.

"Show me that you mean it James, show me that you love me" Lily pleaded desperately, "I don't think I could handle it if this didn't work out."

And then he was kissing her, and she didn't pull back. A million thoughts were running through her head but all she could do was kiss him back. And in that moment, Lily knew, for sure, that she loved him.

Thanks for reading everyone! I swore I'd never be one of those people who begs for reviews, but...

Please review! lol jks i don't really care. if you want to review it be my guest, but it's here for you to read and if that's all you want to do that's fine by me. :)

xxx Merryn!