I Never Knew You Could Dance Like That

By Sancontoa

Declaimer: Lily, James, and all other characters and brilliant ideas you know belong to JK. Rowling, I just played with them a bit.

A/N: PLEASE READ! I would like to point this out right now, before I get a lot of people telling me I got such and such wrong, this is an AU story. I know the canon Lily and James's background stories very well and in writing this story I ignored the parts them that didn't fit my story. I wouldn't say this, but I have had people keep pointing out things I had meant to change in other stories I have written. Another note is that I started writing this story shortly after the fifth book was published and although I have tried to alter it to fit the things revealed in later books some things can't be changed. I had so much fun writing this story and I hope you have fun reading it, so I'll shut up now and let you get on with it.

A/N FOR RE-WRITE (July 2008): After a very, very long hiatus (two years) the story is back!! I have gone through a re-written and tweaked a few parts of it. Because of this and also because I'm sure it's been years since my older readers have read this story I encourage all readers to read the whole story instead of skipping to the end. However I want to thank everyone with sticking with this story and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the reviews they have meant a lot. So now on with the story!

Introducing Her Royal Highness Princess Lily Marie Evans

Lily Marie Evans was a lovely little girl and when grown-ups first met her many couldn't help themselves from smiling at how cute she was. In recent years this had lessened, much to Lily's delight, and instead she got complements on how 'lovely' and 'pretty' she looked that evening. Lily couldn't help it but she liked impressing people with her looks and so she did her best to keep up her appearance, making sure her long fire-red hair was always neat and styled and didn't fall into her face so people could admire her emerald green eyes and freckles. She always smiled at company, knew ten different ways to curtsey, and always had a partner during the waltz. In the mornings she usually studied French, Spanish, Latin, mathematics, the Greeks and the Romans and Shakespeare, and all those other things a young lady should learn so she would have something interesting to say when conversing with people. However it was on the afternoons that Lily would do the things she liked to do like fly kites, run in the woods then collapse under a tree to read a good book then she would find a empty field and sing at the top of her voice and do all the other things little girls do. All and all, Lily had a normal life, or at least what was considered a normal life for a princess.

The most important thing about Lily was that she was the princess of the magical royal family in England. Her family had once been the sole rulers of the magical community for the whole of 

the British Empire. Though over the centuries that had changed and like their none-magical counterparts, they had become more of a figurehead. The Minister of Magic now held all the real power and the royal family went to Grand Openings and planed parties and had more of an influence over politics than any real power. Not that they weren't loved by the magical population, they were, everyone adorned old King Henry and Queen Katherine and their two lovely daughters the princesses Petunia and Lily.

Petunia was the older of the two, by three years and five months. Yet she was not the heir to the throne. It was tragic, everyone said, that Petunia was born a squib. Most people thought it was her anger at being born without magic and jealous because her sister was witch that had turned Petunia into such spoiled brat. They felt sorry for her but deep down everyone was glad that it was the youngest; Lily who would inherit the throne one day.

Lily was a truly beautiful child, on the inside and outside, everyone said. She really cared about the population. She was once heard to arguing with the Minister of Magic that he should try to give more rights to werewolves and centers. Yet, she was only an eleven-year-old little girl, even if she was a princess and like all the others her mind was usually not on politics. Currently her mind was full thinking about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she would be starting her magical education in only two weeks time. Her family, going back to when the school had started, had gone to Hogwarts. They had all, with the except of her great-great-great uncle Thomas who had dragon-boxes and died in his second year, been prefects and then Head Boy or Girl.

"But, what if I'm rubbish August," Lily asked her black-and-white kitten in despair. Unfortunately mostly likely because of the fact that cats can't talk she did not get any answer besides a long 'meow' which could have meant anything. Lily would have talked to a real person but there really was no one. Her parents weren't the kind who liked listening to their children. Her mother would tell her everything would be fine and that she'd get worry lines if she kept her face like that and her father would pat her on the head without listening and tell her to run along so he could read his paper. Then there was Petunia but she hated Lily and was still sore about not being able to go to Hogwarts so she would probably just ignore Lily if she went to her for advice. Lily had no real friends just people who were forced by their parents to go to one of the many balls her parents throw and make small talk with her. Sure they were nice but they were the kind of people who wanted to know the princess not the girl and would probably not really care if she poured out her heart to them. She reasoned that she didn't need friends, she had her books and her cat and she needed to concentrate on her schoolwork anyway. But deep down Lily knew she was lonely and couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts where there would be people of her status who wouldn't be so star struck that she could make real friends.

"Dinner is served, miss," a house-elf announced from the door.

"Thank you Charles," Lily replied formal then went to check herself in the mirror. She wore a long baby blue dress with many ribbons and pearls sowed into it. Her long red hair was tied 

back into a French braid which her maid, a young women from Surry, had done that morning. Patting her hair one last time she left the room.

The hall was long and ornately decorated. Every ten feet or so stood a suit of armor that was at least three hundred years old. Next-door was a large bathroom, with a swimming size tub, shower, and full-length mirror. Across the hall was the "playroom" which hadn't had toys in it since she was seven. Instead it had a TV, video games, refrigerator, mini-bar, three walls of bookcases full Lily's books, and a number of other things kids enjoyed. Lily never really liked most of the muggle electronics in the room but she loved the books so she spent a great deal of her time in the room snuggled in one of the arm-chairs. However her favorite room by far was located up the windy stairs next to the "playroom." It had formally been a watchtower but had been turned into a sort of study with an oak desk, more bookshelves, and a globe of the world in one corner. The windows on one side looked out over the lake on the grounds and you could see as far as the nearest village on the other side. Lily liked to sit up in the room long past midnight thinking about her ancestors and what their lives must have been like when the Kings and Queens had still had complete control over the kingdom.

Lily felt she would really miss the castle once she was gone. Yet after spending her whole life closed up in the place she couldn't wait to get out and see the real world. Most people think, being a princess you have complete freedom in everything but she Lily was more restricted then most people. The only other places she had been in her life were to her parent's other residences in the countryside. Lily had never even seen London! Her only companions were tutors, the family house-elves, and other people who worked for her parents. The thought of leaving her little world was kind of scary though. But it was expected of her so it wasn't as if she could back out even if she wanted to. Not that she did, for the first time she would really be able to make friends, with people her own age! It was a scary and amazing idea that she wouldn't give up for anything.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts Lily squared her shoulders and glided into the formal dining room. Her father, the elderly king, sat at the head of the table. He was an extremely tall man with long willowy fingers and deep thoughtful blue eyes. He wore a black robe with the royal family's symbol painted in gold to one side and his crown precisely positioned on his neatly trimmed hair which had once been the color of fire just like his daughter's. Her mother, the Queen, sat next to him wearing a salmon pink dress robe. Her features were dark and noble, showing of her Spanish roots. It was only her emerald green eyes that suggested some Irish blood. She was also unusually tall but this was mostly due to her neck which was a least twice as long as a normal one. Petunia, who sat next to her father wearing a purple muggle dress, looked like a mix between her two parents. She had the long neck of her mother and the blue eyes of her father. Her skin was not quite dark enough to look Spanish, yet did not look at all like an English girl's skin. Unsurprisingly she had inherited the height of both her parents.

Lily though she looked more like her father then mother because she had her father's hair and pale skin. The freckles that dotted her face could have come from any side but she suspected her father, yet it was her mother's eyes that made her look like a real Irish girl. The thing that 

really set Lily apart from her family was her height, no one knew exactly were it come from, as everyone in her family for at least five hundred years had been freakishly tall, but Lily was short, very short. It was the one thing that Lily really hated about her family that when there were family reunions she was always looking up at everyone.

"Good evening Lily," King Henry said pulling his daughter out of her musings for the second time that night.

"Good evening father," Lily replied equally formally, curtsied well trying not to giggle. She took her seat next to Petunia and the dance began. Or at least that's what Lily though formal dinners with the royal family looked like. The food, as always, was masterpieces in itself. Glistening d'oeuvres, turkeys a color of dark gold, pastry pigs, spiced backed hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs, and the finally little trays of dark truffles shaped into different designed. The family talked very little, mostly focusing on their food. Lily and Petunia were forced to report on what they had learned that day. Then the King and Queen told their children about the party they had gone to at an opening for a new wing in Saint Mango's.

After dinner the family left the table and went their separate ways. Henry to his study, Katherine for a walk in the gardens, and Petunia to the local village where she would go visit her friends from the Muggle School she attended and do God knows what. Lily went up to her room and changed into a muggle t-shirt and jeans. Then she went to visit the gardeners who lived in a cottage on the grounds.

"Is anyone home?" She asked knocking at the door, "It's me, Lily."

"It's open dear," an elderly women called from inside.

Lily opened the door to find a gray haired old lady in a flowery dress standing over a teapot in the kitchen. It was Molly Thomas; she and her husband Edward kept up the extravagant gardens that surrounded the castle and they had lived in little cottage on the grounds ever since Lily could remember. Lily had been coming down to visit them since she could walk and they were almost like second parents to her. Of course her real parents didn't know that, they though she merely like plants and went to disguise them with the Thomas's. They would hardly approve of their daughter making friends with servants. As much as Lily wanted to deny it, her parents were a bit snobby.

"Edward get out here Lily's come to visit," Molly yelled into the other room. A moment later an old man in a gray coat come into the main room.

"Why hello my girl," he said smiling and went to hug her. "How long left till you leave us now?"

"Only two weeks," Lily told them, "I'm really going to miss you two."

"And we're going to miss ye too dear but no use dwelling on it. Let's all have some tea now and you can tell us about your day," Molly told her drawing Lily in for a large huge.

Lily spent the next few hours with the Thomas's, drinking tea and talking about old times. Later Edward took out a pack of cards and they played poker, betting with sweets Molly kept special for these occasions. Lily didn't want to go home when at almost eleven Molly sowed her out the door saying she had to get up early the next day.

Yawning she walked back up to the castle the fireflies dancing around her head in the darkness of mid-summer. Lights glowed on the surfaces of the many reflecting pools and fountains of the castle grounds. Lily wished for a moment that she wasn't leaving the place but only for a moment.

She climbed the stairs two at a time suddenly very tired. Molly was right tomorrow she was getting up early because she would be going to Diagon Alley and London for the first time. The elegant halls of her family's castle seemed even prettier in the moonlight. A main hallway lined with tapestries and suits of armor, lead of into many huge, glamorous rooms. There was the ballroom, the indoor pool, her mother's garden, her father's study, the many sitting rooms, the family library with books from ceiling to floor, and so many others she knew so well. Finally she came to the main staircase, which lead up to the top floor and her room. Past her parent's hall, her sister's wing, the guest hall, and finally there she was at her room. She pushed open the ancient walnut door and collapsed into her bed and was asleep within minutes, not even bothering to undress. Later in the night a house elf would come to check on her and with a snap of it's finger she would be dressed in her silk nightgown and tucked under the comfortable sheets.

Lily woke up the next morning to a steady tapping at her door.

"Come in," she called out groggily, rubbing her eyes and squinting though the sunlit room at the door.

"Miss," Charles the house elf said, coming in and bowing to her. "Breakfast is on the table and the King says you will be leaving in an hour."

"Thank you Charles, I will be down shortly," Lily announced, sitting up fully awake now. Today was the day; she would finally get to go to Diagon Alley! She jumped out of bed and ran over to her closet. It opened to reveal an enormous wardrobe most little girls dream of having. There were shoes of all kinds, robes of all colors, T-shirts, jeans, bellowing skirts, long flowing evening gowns and puffy summer dresses. Hats of all shapes and sizes lay on shelves, next to gloves and socks, sunglasses, bags, purse, necklaces, headbands, and every conservable thing a person wears. Lily could not think what to wear. She wanted to look really nice for the common people who would see her but not too fancy, she didn't want to stand out. She wanted to be 

comfortable, yet fashionable and still look good. Finally she settled for a plain blue top and a long flowing white skirt, below a black robe with little blue stars. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a big blue bow.

Finally, almost a half an hour after she had gotten up, Lily was finally ready. She felt like she was going to throw up she was so nervous. Repeating over and over in her head that she would be fine she walked downstairs. Breakfast was laid out on the table but the rest of her family had already eaten. So Lily sat down and took some eggs and bacon, then sat there for about fifteen minutes trying to eat it. She finally managed to eat half of it and swallow some pumpkin juice, feeling like she was chewing cardboard the whole time.

At half pasted nine she entered her father's study.

"Are you ready?" King Henry asked putting down his quill.

"Yes father," Lily told him, curtsying.

"Very well then, grab the other end of this portkey," he told her holding out a piece of ordinary parchment. Once she'd put a finger on it he tapped the end with his wand. Lily felt a pull behind her navel and was suddenly sorry she had eaten so much. A moment later her feet touch the ground. She almost fell but her father caught her, smiled down at his youngest daughter.

"We're at my office at the ministry," he told her. "I have to talk to a few people before we go down to Diagon Alley. Can you amuse yourself for a few minutes?"

"Of course father," Lily said, looking around, glad of the opportunity to let her stomach settle. King Henry smiled at her again before leaving the office and left alone Lily sat down. The office was very big and decorated in gold. A large chestnut desk stood at one end with about ten plush golden chairs facing it. After about fifteen minutes she picked up one of the books on her father's desk, a study of recent developments in potion making and started reading. After about an hour and a half when she was about halfway through the book and completely bored the door opened. Lily turned, happy that her father was back at last and they could finally get on with the shopping trip he'd promised her.

"Princess Lily" A man in his late thirties said, bowing to her from the door.

"Yes?" Lily asked putting the book down, knowing what was happening because something like this always happened. Her father had canceled and sent someone else to tell her.

"I'm Colin Miller the Junior Undersecretary to the Minister or Magic. The ki- I mean your father has been tied up in some very important business so I'll be escorting you around Diagon Alley," the man told her. Lily could tell he resented the fact that he had been stuck taking an eleven year old shopping. Lily sighed as the wonderful picture of her and her father actually doing something together faded.

"Well, thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to help me find my way around," Lily said to Colin adopting the tone of authority her mother had taught her. "Where are we going first?"

It turned out that they would first have to take another portkey to a small pub called the Leaky Caldron, which hid the entrance to Diagon Alley. Unlike earlier, Mr. Miller did not catch Lily as she stumbled upon landing and she ended up on the floor. Grumbling she picked herself up and looked around. The pub was very crowded with all types of peoples. Near her two older women with Yorkshire accents were talking about their grandchildren and behind them three hags were laughing at something one of them had said. Lily even saw a goblin in the corner, counting out coins from a purple sack.

"This way," Miller told her, leading the way to the back of the pub and out into a courtyard. He withdrew his wand and tapped the brinks. Suddenly they melted away to form an archway into a cobblestone street lined with shops.

"I would like to go to the bookstore," Lily told him, not really a question but not a command either. Miller shrugged as if he didn't really care as long as this was over as fast as possible. He led the way down the street Lily trailing behind him. She tried to pretend as though she were merely glancing at her surroundings but that was almost impossible there was just so much to see. The shops with their displays of extraordinary things, the people doing their shopping (actually commoners, Lily though) and everything in-between. As they entered the large book store Lily tried to control herself but it was very hard not to squeak in delight. She left Miller standing at the door and went to look though the stacks. In only a few minutes she had a whole stack of books she was dying to read. She had so many books in fact that she didn't notice the boy till it was too late.

Books went everywhere as the two collided, sending them both to the ground. Lily was so surprised that she just sat there for a moment before starting to gather up her books muttering a hurried apology.

"I'm terribly sorry," the boy said and Lily noticed for the first time that he was only her age if not a bit younger. Then for a moment their eyes meet and Lily felt something she couldn't describe, a sudden fluttering in her stomach, but it was gone as soon as it had come and really was stupid. Miller had come over to take the books from her arms. Without checking if she was alright or even talking to her at all he paid for them and they left the shop in silence, but behind her Lily faintly heard the sounds of someone yelling at that boy she had run into. Lily didn't understand this at all; the boy had done nothing wrong, why was someone tell him off. She didn't dwell on it however; she was out in the sunshine in Diagon Alley with a full day of shopping ahead of her, why should she worry about some boy's problems?

A half an hour later Lily and Miller stood in from of a shop with the sign 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382BC,' hanging over the door.

"Why don't I get your potions supplies while you go in there? Picking a wand is a very privet thing," Miller told her and without giving her a chance to say "no" he walked away. A little scared at being left alone Lily stood for a moment in front of the shop before squaring her shoulders and entering.

"Hello," she called out as she entered but found no one there. A chine had sounded over her head when she pushed open the door but it seemed no one had heard it. She walked up to the counter and peered into the back, which was lined with long rectangular boxes which she assumed held wands.

"Good morning," a voice said from behind her making her jump. It was an old man, with eerie moon-like eyes, and a creepy aurora about him. "Aw, I thought I would be seeing you soon."

Lily, a little startled at this odd man, did not reply but just stared at him in a way her mother would not approve off.

"Which is your wand hand?" He asked, pulling out a tape measure.

"Err… right," Lily told him. Ollivander let go of the tape measure and it started to measure her, while he went to the back to pull out wands.

"Willow, 14 inches, dragon heart string," he said, handing her a wand, "well give it a wave."

Lily took it, and waved it around privately feeling a little stupid when nothing happened. But Ollivander snatched the wand from her hand and replaced it a moment later with another one.

"Oak, 7 inches, good for transfiguration." Nothing happened. This went on for about five more wands before he gave her, "Willow, 10 and a half inches, flexible, good for charms." Lily felt a warm tingling sensation in her arm and golden sparks shot out the top of her wand. Ollivander clapped and she felt herself smiling for the first time that day.

"Very good, that'll be eight galleons."

Lily paid for her wand and Mr. Ollivander bowed her from his shop. Outside Miller was waiting for her with a bag full of potions supplies.

"Well, I think we've got everything," Miller announced, "and it's almost time for us to meet your father in the Leaky Caldron, so why don't we go over there and wait for him."

"All right," Lily replied and silently followed him into the Leaky Caldron. They sat at one of the tables in a corner. Lily could tell Miller didn't really want to make small talk so she took out one of her books and started reading. About fifteen minutes later her father came in. Miller seemed overwhelmed to meet the king and bowed very low, making his glasses fall off. After repairing them he muttered a quick goodbye and left, beat red.

"So how was the shopping?" King Henry asked his daughter looking down at all the bags around her, "I see you were successful."

"Yes father, Mr. Miller took me to get everything I needed. How was your meeting?"

"Very productive thank you," King Henry said using his wand to levitate some of the bags as he took out another portkey. Lily took the other end and soon they landed in the entranceway of the mansion. Henry called a house elf to carry Lily's bags upstairs then went off to his office to "do more work."

Lily sighed and took one of her new books outside to read by the lake. In the distance she saw a family of five sitting on a hill just outside the castle grounds having a picnic. The parents were laughing as their children ran around playing what looked like tag. Lily watched them wistfully before going back to her book.

Three days before she was to leave for Hogwarts the King and Queen threw a farewell ball for their daughter. Her mother had picked out a dazzling pink ball gown for her, which had real diamonds sown into it so it glittered when she spun around. Lily had to stand at the entrance to the doors with her parents to meet the guests. It was here she first meet her future classmates.

"The Blacks," the butler announced as a family of four made their way over.

"Your Majesties," Mr. Black said silkily, bowing along with his two sons while his wife curtsied. "May I present my wife Violate and our two sons Regales and Sirius. Sirius is starting at Hogwarts this year as well."

This startled Lily and she looked up to see one of the black haired boys grinning at her. She didn't know why but he struck her as someone who, despite his name, never took anything seriously. While the adults made small talk, Lily went to said hello to Sirius.

"It's a pleasure to meet such a lovely princess," Sirius told her, bowing again but it was a sparkle in his eyes that made Lily giggle. Regales who stood next to him scowled probably at the fact that Sirius was getting all the attention.

After the Blacks had moved on Lily's mother whispered to her, "the Black family, although from very old nobility and very wealthy which makes us obligated to invite them to such functions as this, is always in Slytherin so I do not want you associating with that boy." Lily scowled; she hated being told who she could "associate with." Besides Sirius seemed nice.

Next came Molly, Gideon and Fabian Prewett. Molly and Fabian were a few years older then Lily, but Gideon was in her year. There was Amelia Bones and Mafabla Hopkirk who liked to be called Mia, and a tall blond boy named Arnold Peasegood, who were all in her year. Bellatrix 

Black, Sirius's cousin, and Antonin Dolohov were also in her year, but her mother told her to avoid them too and Lily didn't mind. Peter Pettigrew was a pudgy little blond, who came from a wealthy family but was lacking in the brain department and tended to be trackless. However she could befriend him, if she wanted to, which Lily privately though wouldn't be very likely.

A very annoying blond boy named Gilderoy Lockheart was going into third year and Lucius Malfoy (who she was to avoid at all cost) was going into his 7th year. There were many more, but those were the few that stuck out in her mind. By the end of the introductions it seemed as if Lily had meet more people to avoid at Hogwarts then to make friends with.

Finally everyone had arrived and Lily was allowed to sit down next to her parents in a small golden throne at the head of the ballroom. During dinner she mostly listened to her parents talking with the Minister of Magic and the other department heads who had come. Finally dinner was over and the dancing began.

"My I have this dance?" Gideon Prewett asked, coming over. Lily looked to her mother who nodded and the two moved onto the dance floor. The orchestra was playing a slow waltz and as she put her arm around Gideon's waist Lily repeated in her head 'one, two, three.' Gideon managed not to step on her feet but Lily did most of the leading, forward and back, to the side, and up, one, two, three, four. The dance ended and after she had curtsied she was asked to dance by Gideon's brother, who luckily was a better dancer. After him, Lockheart asked for a dance to her dismay, then a fourth year Ravenclaw whose name she couldn't remember.

It seemed to go on all night; the orchestra played one slow waltz after another. Her father took her for one dance and then, finally, she mangled to sneak out into the gardens.

"Hiding?" A voice asked from behind her making her jump. It was Sirius Black.

"Don't do that," Lily exclaimed, "and if you must know, I'm going to scream if I have to do the waltz anymore."

"But you're so good," Sirius said, smiling cheekily at her.

"Well if I'm so good, why didn't you ask me?"

"I can't waltz. I wouldn't take the lessons a fact which my mother is still complaining about." Lily giggled and Sirius put on a mock hurt face, "thank you for finding my lack of discipline funny. I'll have you know I've been working very hard to cure myself of it. Unfortunately nothing has worked." This made Lily just giggle harder.

They stayed out in the garden talking a long time. Lily found herself making her first real friend, the only problem was that he was going to be in Slytherin and her parents hated Slytherins.

"Oh, I hear my mother screaming," Sirius said after what seemed like hours. "I must go My Lady. See you on the Hogwarts express."

And he was gone as suddenly as he had come. Lily sighed and went back into the ballroom, maybe she'd get lucky and Sirius would be in Gryffindor. Her parent's hadn't even noticed her absence but when they saw her they dragged her over to meet more people from good respectable families.

The next night Lily lay in bed, wide-awake. She knew she should get some sleep; she did have to get up at seven the next morning. Yet, she couldn't, she was too nervous. Tomorrow she would start her life or at least it seemed that way. What if she got into Slytherin? What if she didn't make any friends? What if she disappointed her parents and her country? It was a lot for an eleven-year-old to worry about. Her last though before she drifted off to sleep was to wonder if that black-haired boy from the bookstore had gotten into Hogwarts…