Beers and snogs
An hour later, Marlene was completely at ease, and Lily was laughing at the ridiculous jokes spilling from her mouth as they danced to overly sweet pop music on the dance floor.
“All the men here are ugly!” Marlene shouted in Lily’s ear, probably thinking she was whispering.
“They’re so full of themselves!” Lily rolled her eyes. “And they act like they don’t care about anything!”
Marlene nodded enthusiastically. She was already drunk and brutally honest, but Lily, still feeling responsible for everyone’s well-being, had only ordered a non-alcoholic drink on Sirius’s tab. She knew it wasn’t exactly right—after all, she had a corporate card for situations like this—but after his little show of wealth in front of everyone, she figured he deserved it.
The dance floor was getting more crowded. It was starting to feel warm, even though Lily was dancing at a relaxed pace. Marlene hadn’t been dancing at first—she told Lily she didn’t dance—but now, four beers in, the rocker girl was swaying awkwardly.
“Do you think the boys in the cast are cute?” Marlene asked out of nowhere.
Lily nearly choked on the strawberry from her drink. She was not expecting that.
“Uh…” Lily tried to find the right words. “It’s not really appropriate to say… I work with them.”
“So?” Marlene screeched. “So do I.”
“It’s different—” Lily started, but Marlene cut her off.
“The least bad-looking one for me is Remus,” she declared suddenly. “He’s got class.”
Lily wanted to laugh, but Marlene kept going.
“I think his sweaters are cool, you know? He looks like one of those Oxford guys.” Lily nodded. “Now, Sirius is just too much… I know we have the same style—he wears leather jackets and all—but it just doesn’t match that baby face of his!”
“You think Sirius has a baby face?” Lily asked, scandalized. To her, Sirius had a downright intimidating face.
“Lily, he looks like a rich kid, and no amount of alternative fashion can hide that,” Marlene said, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her beer, which was now pooling at the corner of her mouth. Lily figured she should probably tell the bartender to cut her off. “And Peter, poor guy, I feel like he tries, but that cutesy little face just doesn’t work. He looks like my cousin Jonas.”
“Marlene!” Lily laughed at her brutal honesty.
“What?” Marlene shrugged. “It’s no wonder they made him play the younger brother. I’d die of embarrassment taking a role like that… Though honestly, I hate playing the damsel too.”
“Seriously?” Lily asked, but Marlene wasn’t paying attention. Drunk, she seemed like a completely different person—so talkative. Lily had always seen her as more reserved.
“Well, and then there’s Potter,” Marlene said, spinning slightly on the dance floor. “The guy’s kinda good-looking, but that buttery smooth, family-friendly look he gets when he dresses up as Aaron? Total turn-off!” Lily was curious now. “Outside of character, he’s actually kinda funny, but I don’t know… kissing him just makes him zero attractive to me.”
“He’s a bad kisser?” Lily blurted out before she could even think about what she was saying. How inappropriate did that sound?
“No!” Marlene shouted. “He’s a great kisser, but I hate those technical kisses!”
Lily laughed, unsure of what else to say.
Suddenly, the music lowered, and the DJ—a tall guy in a neon green vest—grabbed the mic.
“Alright, ladies and gents! I’ve got a very special guest coming up on stage!”
The crowd cheered, raising their drinks. Lily and Marlene exchanged curious looks.
“Straight from The X Factor, the UK’s newest rising star… Cher Lloyd!”
The audience roared, though not too wildly. Seeing celebrities—or up-and-coming ones—was nothing unusual around here. Honestly, Lily was probably surrounded by a few and hadn’t even realized it.
The singer performed for about fifteen minutes. She sang a few of her songs, but Lily could tell that not many people knew the lyrics—she herself was lost. She remembered seeing her on MTV earlier and not even knowing who she was.
Marlene, however, was mesmerized. Lily wondered why she liked someone whose music was so far from rock, even if Cher wore dark makeup and a skull tank top. The girl was grinning the entire time, nodding her head from side to side. The two of them even moved a little closer to the stage.
“You like her?” Lily shouted over the pulsing electronic beats.
“Saw her on TV!” Marlene was still staring at the stage. “She’s just… so confident.”
Lily had to agree. She had charisma, even if she was clearly new to performing.
A few minutes later, the singer said her goodbyes and stepped offstage. Some people went up to talk to her—way more casually than Lily would’ve expected. Then it hit her: Everyone here is part of London’s cultural elite.
“Let’s go over there!” Marlene gave Lily a shove.
“What?” Lily frowned. “No way! I don’t want to talk to her.”
“But I do!” Marlene whispered, quickening her pace.
Cher was leaning against the bar, chatting with a group of older men. Marlene turned her back to her, widened her eyes at Lily, and said, “Tell me when she’s alone… and act natural!”
Lily laughed but did as she was told. She waited a few seconds while Marlene nervously bit her nails and glanced around, clearly on edge. Was she… having a fangirl moment? It was kind of funny—Lily never pegged her as someone who liked this kind of music.
“She’s alone!” Lily finally whispered. “Go!”
Marlene’s expression changed in an instant. She shot Lily a confident look, spun on her heel, and strolled over casually. Then she stopped at the bar and smoothly ordered a drink.
While waiting, Marlene said something—too quiet for Lily to hear—but it made Cher laugh. The two exchanged a few words, and Marlene’s beer arrived, which made Lily wonder if she should’ve stopped this from happening. She’s gonna feel sick soon. But Marlene looked so happy, so focused—Lily had never seen her like that before.
Then, out of nowhere, Cher leaned in and touched Marlene’s forearm. They laughed again.
Wait… did they already know each other?
Marlene’s expression shifted again. She seemed even more locked in—determined. She ran a hand through her choppy hair, flashing a slow, deliberate smile as she met Cher’s gaze.
No… they didn’t know each other.
This was… they were…
Flirting?
Lily instantly flushed. So Marlene liked girls?
She didn’t know what to think. She hadn’t exactly expected it, but at the same time, it wasn’t weird. In fact, it made all the sense in the world.
At that moment, Marlene glanced at her and knew Lily had figured it out. Then, with a small tilt of her head, she wordlessly told Lily to take a walk and give her some space.
So Lily did. But in her head, questions buzzed: Would they be discreet? What if this got out? It wouldn’t be an issue—not even for MTV—but how many celebrities openly presented themselves as queer? Did Slughorn know? Amelia?
But then she exhaled, shaking the thoughts away. Marlene had to know how to handle herself. How to be subtle.
She was a smart girl, right?
But then it hit Lily: If I let the other guys kiss people at this party, why would I get in Marlene’s way? That would definitely come off as homophobic.
So she let it go, and her first instinct was to check on the others. How much time had passed? An hour? More?
Lily started weaving her way through the mirrored venue. Every space looked the same, every person way too tall and way too carefree.
That smoky air, thick with human heat, seemed to swallow Lily whole. Wandering aimlessly, breathing in shallow gasps, and constantly reminding herself she had to keep an eye on all of them at once—it was an inhuman task.
She still worried there might be paparazzi lurking, considering how upscale the place seemed. Lily glanced around, but she couldn’t spot any of them. People pushed past her, and the music blared, far too loud.
Then, she saw them—glasses standing out in the crowd. Fogged-up, nearly bent out of shape.
James Potter was making out with some girl. Or rather, the girl seemed madly into him, running her fingers through his hair and pulling his shoulders closer.
She was rail-thin, with long, straight blonde hair, a sequined mini-skirt, and heels far too high for dancing. James looked more amused than anything, laughing between kisses, clearly tipsy. Everything seemed hilarious in his state.
Lily felt something strange. She wanted to step in, but what was the point? It was just a kiss, nothing scandalous. He wasn’t doing anything outrageous. Still, something about this public display didn’t sit right with her.
Am I being too uptight?
Lily decided to keep her distance, but the moment James opened his eyes, he locked onto her immediately. His expression shifted in an instant, and he pulled away from the girl, whispering something in her ear. The girl shot Lily a venomous glare before storming off, her razor-thin heels clicking furiously against the floor.
James staggered toward Lily, wearing that confident, lopsided grin of his.
“PR, I promise she didn’t know who I was…”
“It’s fine!” Lily cut him off, irritated. “Have you seen Sirius?”
“I HAVE!” James shouted with a laugh, clearly unaware of how loud he was. Then, leaning in close to her ear, he whispered with a playful grin, “He’s snogging Mary!”
“What?” Lily yelled, their faces now far too close. He smelled of woody cologne and sweat, and for a moment, his hazy gaze flicked to her lips. Startled, Lily pulled back as if she’d been shocked. “They can’t do that! I haven’t even explained the rules about coworker relationships!”
“Hey!” James raised his hands, adjusting his glasses, now precariously perched on the tip of his nose. “Listen to yourself!”.
Lily frowned, confused.
“Today is literally the day to say, ‘Screw it!’” he yelled, grabbing her arms and throwing them into the air. “Come on, PR, I’ll get you a drink.”
“No… I” Lily shook her head.
“I insist!” he added, still holding onto her arms.
“No!” Lily wriggled free. “I’m working.”
“PR…” James looked at her with supreme confidence, a bead of sweat sliding down his neck and disappearing into his shirt. “If you don’t have a drink, I’m gonna start yelling to everyone here that I’m James Potter, star of an MTV series.”
“You wouldn’t.” Lily crossed her arms, giving him a defiant look.
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” James smirked, then darted over to a ledge, leaping onto it with absurd ease. “HEY, EVERYONE, MY NAME IS JAMES—”
“JAMES!” Lily bolted toward him. “STOP!”
James crouched down and locked eyes with her, his deep brown gaze unwavering.
“Will you have a drink?”
“No, but—” Lily began.
“AS I WAS SAYING—”
Lily jumped onto the ledge and, without thinking, clamped her hand over his mouth.
“Fine! Just stop!”
James didn’t say a word, but his eyes sparkled with amusement. When Lily slowly pulled her hand away, she realized she was smiling too.
But James wasn’t looking away. His gaze stayed locked on hers.
“Well, PR, there’s one thing you’ll learn about me…” James leaned in, his warm breath brushing her ear. “I always get what I want.”