He sneered, feeling again the jibing stares, the constant jittering. Desperately, he tried to think of something positive that could have possibly been achieved from this event. He had to admit, they were nice slippers.

James lost his calm composure. When once he would snigger into his hands, or kick a plate across the floor in a fit of laughter, this time there was only a neutral expression that settled onto his face in a covering of complete nothingness. Sirius sniffed, reaching forward for a glass of fizzy Pumpkin juice. He didn't like this.

James gave a swift nod. “She won't be able to resist me. You'll see. I'll have her eating out of my hands.”

“How?” Remus sniggered, rolling his eyes. “Being someone else, or the prat that you are?”

“Oh ha ha ha.”

“What if you, did, manage to........shrink, his ego?”

Lily stopped, drinking some more wine. “I might, look at him in a different light, I think.”

Sirius had been afraid of that. Unable to keep his feelings in, he cleared his throat. “I, er, can't let you then.”

“They're essential to the plan though,” Lily whispered, shielding their conversation with an umbrella, “It's going to rain sometime, might as well be ready when it comes, and besides, nobody will hear now” she tacked onto the end, upon the questioning look on Severus's face, “If James doesn't see all this, if his heart does not bleed at the sight of you saying, 'I do', then what will?"