Lily Evans snuck quietly through the portrait hole, slipping out James's invisibility cloak as she returned from a late-night snack run; her boyfriend was turning out to have multiple uses, she mused. She padded through the Common Room and started up the stairs to the girls' dormitory when she heard a soft groaning behind her. Turning, she saw Remus sprawled out on the couch, covered in three different Gryffindor comforters. Her heart broke for him.
She knew the day before the full moon was always hardest for the boy, both mentally and physically. Preparing for the transformation took a lot out of his body, making it incredibly difficult for him to tolerate the cold. She also knew that during the winter months, he often camped out in the Common Room in front of the fire for the night.
Gently, she crept over to where he lay and tugged the comforter over the shoulder that had come untucked. As she stood back up, she felt a strange maternal urge to kiss his forehead. Shaking her head, she began to back away.
"Hey, Lils," Remus murmured, snuggling deeper into the couch.
"Hey there, Moony," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you; I just didn't want you to get cold."
Remus snorted, opening his eyes. "You didn't wake me up. I never sleep the night before."
"Oh…" Lily answered lamely. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do for you? Sleeping Draught? Calming Draught?"
Resettling his blankets, Remus propped his head up on his elbow and smirked at her. "How about some warm milk and a lullaby?"
"Ridiculous," Lily muttered under her breath as she headed back toward the stairs.
"I heard that, Evans!" he called, tapping his ear.
"You used to be such a nice boy!" she called over her shoulder. "Whatever happened to him?" She knew full well what his answer would be.
"I met James!" he threw back at her, just as he always did.
Lily started stirring harder as her cookie dough continued to thicken. James and his blessed snickerdoodles…
"Hey, Lils!" Peter called as the back door swung open. "Whatcha baking?"
"Boots!" Lily commanded, and she turned to watch as Peter sheepishly stamped off his boots and then left them by the door — beneath the coat rack, hopefully.
Peter walked into the cottage kitchen like he lived there — and if Lily was being honest, he all but did. "More snickerdoodles for James?" he asked with a knowing grin.
"Always! Lily cried. "I swear, I didn't know I was getting engaged to the Cookie Monster. He has the worst sweet tooth of anyone I know, and that includes you!"
He couldn't help but chuckle at her reference. "Well, if he starts sprouting blue fur and loses the ability to speak clearly, don't go blaming me! As much as you complain, I think you secretly love feeding his cookie habit even more."
Lily turned away, hiding her smile. "Do not…" She heard Peter let out a full belly laugh behind her. Tossing her hair proudly, she moved to grab a cookie sheet out of another cabinet. When she turned around, Wormtail already had a mouth full of dough and the spoon halfway back to the mixing bowl.
"Get out of my cookies!" she wailed, searching the kitchen for an instrument with which to smack him with.
Wormtail danced away from where she stood as she brandished her wooden spoon like a wand. "Aww, come on, Lils! I'm just having a snack!"
"Snack, my ass! Be glad I don't have my wand on me, Pettigrew, or you'd be on the receiving end of one nasty Stinging Hex! I swear, you were never this sneaky or conniving in school. What happened to that innocent, honest little boy I met on the train?" she lamented.
Snickering, Wormtail gave her the required answer: "I met James!"
Lily walked slowly down the aisle, her father holding tightly to her arm. James was waiting for her at the end, grinning like a fool. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius look around, as if to see if he was being watched, and surreptitiously checked his blazer pocket. A shiver of dread washed over her, but she shook it away. She had made every single Marauder — James included — make a vow that they would not pull any pranks on her wedding day. Satisfied, she focused on James and enjoyed the rest of the rehearsal.
The magically-lengthened table in the cottage's backyard held nearly every person Lily held dear: her friends, her favorite professors, and her parents. She was so excited for tomorrow, mostly for all the lovely memories they would make. Sirius had even promised to keep his best man's speech as parent-friendly as possible.
Lily was discussing final details with Marlene when she heard a shriek from a few seats down. A familiar dread washed through her as she turned to find the course of the commotion; it was seated right next to her.
James's hair was as green as her eyes.
Most guests were staring wide-eyed at the man, who just continued eating as if there was nothing amiss. Remus and Peter were trying to cover badly-hidden grins, knowing that would just upset Lily further. Sirius was leaning back in his chair, laughing his ass off.
"Sirius Black!" Lily screeched. "You promised!"
Trying to catch his breath, Padfoot finally got out, "I only promised nothing about your wedding day; I said nothing about the rehearsal."
Lily felt her face go from red to puce, and in the back of her mind she knew her coloring was reminiscent of her sister's nasty husband. "Sirius. Orion. Black. If his hair isn't perfect — and I mean perfect — by tomorrow morning, I will kill you."
She turned away from a still laughing Padfoot and said to Marlene, "You know, I know that somewhere deep inside, that boy has some sense of decorum. I'm just not sure what happened to him."
From down the table, she heard him laugh, "I met James!"
James shuffled back into the bedroom, rubbing at his eyes as he crawled back under the covers.
"Is he sleeping?" she mumbled, reaching for him.
"Yeah," he yawned. "He just needed a little time with Daddy. And a nappy change. But mostly some time with Daddy."
Lily chuckled sleepily at him. "I'm sure that's it babe. Did you give him a bottle?" She felt James nod. "Did you put a new one in the fridge?" Again, he nodded. "Did you remember to use the new diapers? He's too big for the smaller ones."
"Yes, Lils, I remembered. I promise, I've got it all together," he murmured into her hair.
"He's going to look so cute in his little costume tomorrow," she said wistfully, snuggling in deeper.
James sighed. "I know, dear. I'd love to be able to take him to Diagon Alley and show him off, too, but it's just not safe. And you know that keeping the two of you safe is my only priority right now."
Lily nodded. "I know. You went and got all responsible on me. When did that happen?"
James smiled as he began drifting off to sleep. "When I met you."
Written for QLFC
Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Seeker
Prompt: Lily Evans/Potter
Words: 1199