A/N: Welcome to my new Jily! I'm currently also writing The Adventures of Andromeda Black so check that out as well if you want! Or check out my other Jily Hit and Miss! I'm planning on posting a chapter of this every Sunday so hopefully I'll see you for all of them!

Disclaimer: I own the storyline and nothing else (that goes for all my chapters).

Enjoy :)

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Guest

When an older sibling gets married it is the opinion of their parents that the younger sibling will be lonely and thus Lily Evans received a kitten on the first day of the summer holidays. The kitten, named Nigel, was a ginger tabby that could have been classed as slightly idiotic. It had so far run into its reflection 21 times and currently was attempting to communicate with its mirror image through a series of pathetic mews. The early morning sun streamed into room and tickled the face of the redhead sleeping in the bed diagonally opposite the mirror. Lily stirred and stretched before chuckling at the sight of Nigel, who was now tapping one of his minute paws against the looking glass. She slipped out from under her covers and shuffled out of her room and across the landing into a light blue tiled bathroom. The sound of water splashing out of the showerhead filled the room and Lily closed her eyes contently as the warm water rained over her. The last few hours before chaos ensued.

Lily's sister, Petunia, was to be married that afternoon to Vernon Dursley and preparations in the Evans household would shortly be resuming. The various aunts, uncles and cousins who would be helping were only a few hours away and soon everyone's efforts would be consumed by wedding preparation. The Bride was still enjoying her beauty sleep so Lily took her time shampooing and conditioning her deep red hair. She didn't take long and stepped out of the shower after about 20 minutes with clean but wet hair that dripped onto the bathroom rug. Quickly, she dried herself and dressed before tying her hair up in a bun and heading downstairs. The kitchen had one occupant in it; Mr Evans sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a newspaper.

'There's been another gas explosion.' Lily's father informed her as she pulled out a bowl from the cupboard. 'Down in Dorset. Load of nutters started protesting afterwards. As if anyone wanted it to happen.'

'I'm sure they meant well by it.' Lily responded and sat down opposite him with a bowl of Weetabix in front of her. She began to spoon it into her mouth as her father delved back into his newspaper.

'Strange the amount of explosions happening. I'm no expert but surely heat waves don't have that bad an effect on our gas pipes. Pretty bad installation if you ask me.'

'Perhaps this will alert the manufacturers to improve the quality of their pipes.' Lily swallowed a mouthful of cereal and Mr Evans snorted.

'That lot only care about profit.' He adjusted his newspaper in frustration. 'The day they stop thinking about how many bleeding quid they'll make is the day Vernon Dursley loses weight.'

'Dad!' Lily reprimanded though she didn't deny that her future in-law was rather on the portly side. He was quite similar to a pig in many respects; Vernon Dursley had piggy little eyes and ate in the most disgusting manner that put one off their food completely. He also grunted like a pig and was exceptionally greedy. Needless to say, he wasn't a pleasant man but the rest of the Evans household put up with him because he made Petunia happy.

'What?' Mr Evans grinned wickedly. 'I speak only the truth.'

'Yes but-'

'I'm doing exactly what the Bible says: Thou shall not lie.'

'You and I both know you couldn't care less what the Bible says.' Lily shook her head despairingly and her father laughed. 'Besides, in a few hours, Vernon'll be your in-law so you'd better be nice about him.'

'Only when Pet's around.' He ruffled his daughter's damp hair. 'Promise me you'll bring home a bloke who hasn't got his head stuck up his arse.'

'I give up.' Lily muttered and returned her attention to her breakfast. The two were silent for only a few minutes before there was a loud tapping at the window. They looked to see two owls, one tawny and the other jet black, sitting on the windowsill. One carried a newspaper and the other what appeared to be a hurriedly written note. Lily stood up and went to the window where she opened it and the two birds hopped inside the kitchen. Both seemed in a rush and Lily pulled a jar of bronze coins towards her. She fished out three which she put in the pouch of the owl with the newspaper and removed the mail. The tawny owl flew off and she turned to the black one.

Lily,

I haven't got long but here's what's happened. Mr and Mrs Potter passed away last night from dragon pox. Sirius and James were there with them and when Peter and I heard we went straight St Mungo's. We managed to bring Sirius back to his place and we're with him now but James disapparated. He's vanished and we're really worried about him. If you see him please, please let me know.

Love,

Remus

Lily stared at the note for a moment before reaching for a notepad and pen. She quickly scribbled a response and attached it to the owl which took flight instantly. Returning to her breakfast, she frowned because it was highly unlikely that she would come across James Potter in her summer holidays. The two weren't in the habit of seeing each other outside of school so the likelihood of her seeing him was slim to none. Nevertheless, Remus was her friend and by the sounds of it was pretty desperate to find one of his best mates. She opened up her delivered newspaper and instantly saw that the front page of the Daily Prophet offered an alternative story to the gas explosion.

10 DEAD IN DORSET DEATH EATER ATTACK

The headline could not have been any plainer and she wrinkled her nose in disgust upon reading it. However, she didn't read the article beneath it, instead folding up the newspaper and being cautious to hide the headline from her father. Rather hurriedly, she finished her breakfast and washed up her bowl before heading back to her bedroom. Once in the confines of her room, she began to search through her bedside table drawer and pulled out a red leather notebook. She grabbed a pen from her desk and wrote on the first blank page.

Lily: You ok?

Then she waited.

Lily: Marls?

Nothing. Lily reached for a book to entertain herself while she waited. The book nearest to her was in fact Much Ado About Nothing. Not a book then, a play. It was Lily's favourite Shakespeare and although the actual contents of the play had nothing to do with the events of today, she felt that the title could easily be used in regard to the preparations for Petunia's wedding. A wedding was after all the union between two people but somehow her sister, mother and two aunts had brought in the importance of colour schemes and wedding cake flavours.

Marlene: We're all fine. Can't talk – my brother's party is in two fucking hours. Save me!

Lily: Have fun! ;)

Marlene: FML.

She smiled at the antics of her best friend and let out a sigh of relief. Marlene McKinnon lived in Dorset and upon hearing about the attack there, Lily's heart had had a slight heart attack. Luckily, it transpired Marlene and her family were all alright.

There was a loud screech from down the corridor, causing her to jump in shock, and she poked her head out of her room to investigate. Petunia Evans stood in the hallway holding up a mirror, which completely obscured her face, and screamed.

'Tuney?' Lily asked tentatively.

'My face is covered in spots!' she wailed and Mrs Evans appeared out of a room right at the end of the corridor looking extremely bleary-eyed. 'My wedding day's ruined!' Petunia began to cry and her mother rushed to engulf her in a hug. Lily stood awkwardly in her doorway.

'We'll just put some ice on them and they'll shrink a bit.' Mrs Evans tried to reassure her eldest daughter. This didn't seem to help.

'B-but they'll still be there. Ugly and painful!' Petunia howled and Mrs Evans began to usher her into her room. Lily returned to her own and once again headed to her bedside table. This time she did not rummage through the drawer but picked up a piece of wood next to her alarm clock. She had picked up her wand. Cautiously, she made her way to where the other two Evans women were and cleared her throat.

'Tuney?' she mumbled and the two turned to face her. 'I know you don't like m-magic but I-I could vanish your spots.' There was a silence as Petunia mulled over her sister's words. Lily could practically see the cogs working in Petunia's head. Lily was a witch and could do magic – a fact Petunia greatly disliked. Agreeing to have her spots vanished would be allowing her sister to do magic but saying no would result in blemished skin for her wedding.

'Fine. But you'd better not mess it up, Freak.' The nickname Petunia gave her sister was whispered so that their mother wouldn't hear. Lily moved towards her older sister and let her wand tip rest on all of the pimples in turn. One by one they vanished and after five minutes they were all gone. The doorbell rang. 'Put that thing away!' Petunia hissed and Lily rushed to hide her wand in her room. When she returned to the landing, she could hear her father letting in a flurry of cousins, aunts and uncles.

A few minutes later, and Lily was downstairs helping her Aunt Harriet put on the finishing touches of the wedding cake. The kitchen counter they were working on was littered with cake decorations and piping bags. The two females worked carefully and slowly on their masterpiece but when one of the cousins came in to get a glass of water, the peace broke and Aunt Harriet yelled at them to get out. With the wedding topper added, Lily was then sent for a last-minute trip to the florist. Petunia had decided that the bridesmaids would be wearing white flower crowns so Lily ran down the street to fetch as many white flowers as she could carry. When she returned, she was grabbed by her cousin Olivia and forced to have her hair braided and placed into a low bun. Once her hair was done, the applying of makeup began and after that chaotic process ended, Lily was required to attend to her younger cousins' hair and makeup. The two little girls, Katie and Juliet (aged 7 and 9), sat obediently enough as their elder cousin rushed around curling their locks and pondering whether small children were allowed mascara and lipstick.

Lily stepped back to admire her handiwork before she was pulled away to help adjusting the bridesmaid dresses. Vernon's sister, Marge, had put on her yellow dress and the seams down one side had all burst. It was then up to Lily to fix the problem and after she'd save Marge's outfit she was whisked away by Olivia, who had lost weight since choosing the correct size dress, and proceeded to take in the dress. A momentary breath was allowed for the redhead before her mother wanted her verdict on Petunia's hair and then decided of her own accord that perhaps she should have an elegant knot rather than a braid. Lily simply nodded and told her sister she looked lovely to which she received a glower from the Bride. The doorbell rang again and because everyone else was busy it was up to Lily to answer it. She supposed it must be the Maid of Honour with the wedding dress and hurried to reach the front door. Lily opened the door. It wasn't the wedding dress.

'Potter?' She stared at the person in the doorway. James Potter, with a bottle in hand, stood in the threshold and swayed slightly as he attempted to stay upright. He let out a loud hiccup and stumbled slightly causing Lily to grasp him so that he wouldn't fall over. 'Let's get you inside.' She bundled him into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

'Lily! Is that the dress?' her mother called from the next room. Mrs Evans entered the hall and her eyes fell upon the to two people in it. 'Who's that?' she mouthed at her daughter with a look of bemusement.

'James Potter.' Lily responded aloud. 'I'll put him in my room.' Mrs Evans nodded and left the hallway.

'Oooh! You're room?' James let out a loud giggle as Lily dragged him upstairs, pausing only to get a bucket out of the cupboard under the stairs. When they reached Lily's room, she deposited him on the bed with the bucket on his lap.

'Try and be sick in the bucket, yeah?' she suggested softly.

'Sick? I'm not-' There was a rather unpleasant splashing noise as he regurgitated into the pail. He resurfaced with an unfocused grin. 'I'm going to do a handstand.'

'Noo!' Lily cried in panic as he almost knocked the sick-filled bucket onto the floor. James fell over and stumbled a few times as he tried to stand up. His head ached slightly so he rubbed it furiously whilst trying to focus on the female before him.

'Hello, beautiful.' He tried to run his hands through his hair but missed and ended up stoking the air confusedly.

'I'll go get you some water.' Lily informed James. 'Just stay there.' She left and the intoxicated James looked around the room. His vision was quite blurry due to the amount of alcohol he'd consumed and he barely jumped when he caught sight of a ginger shape on the floor.

'Evans?' he giggled. 'You on… floor? I'm d-drunk not you. You can't fall over!' His drunken laugh lengthened as the shape moved across the floor. 'You're a s-strange bird.' There was no response to his statement and James tilted his head curiously. 'Why won't you answer me? D'you hate me?'

He leant down to the same level as the ginger shape and decided Lily must have dyed her hair lighter than its natural deep red. It took him a few attempts to pick up the shape and he held it above him.

'Have you shrunk?' he asked in amusement. James shook the shape slightly and giggled again as it wriggled in irritation. 'D'you want me to help you back to normal? I'm actually a hero in secret so you're in luck. Where's my… Got it!' He held his wand loosely in his free hand and waved it around wildly. 'Engor-'

'Potter, that's my kitten.' Lily had returned with a jug of water which she balanced on a crate of white flowers and silver wire. Carefully, she placed the box on the floor and put the jug on her bedside table. She produced a plastic cup and poured some water into it before handing it to James, who had put down both Nigel and his wand. He attempted to drink it but missed his face completely and ended up tipping water onto the bed. 'How much did you drink?'

'Only a bottle.' James let out a loud giggle. 'Or t-t-two.'

'Maybe you should sleep for a bit. Sleep off some of that alcohol.'

'I don't want to go to bed.' James complained before starting to laugh. 'Not without you!' He winked clumsily and Lily struggled to keep a straight face.

'How about we compromise? I'll tuck you up.' He didn't answer so Lily set about taking off his shoes and lying him down underneath the covers.

'I really really-' James broke off as he fell asleep and began letting out incredibly loud snores. Lily shook her head amusedly and turned to the crate she had hauled upstairs. It contained everything she needed to make the flower crowns Petunia had demanded last minute and reluctantly made a start. Making the flower crowns took an age and had resulted in several pokes from the silver wires. As she worked, she wondered if she should inform Remus that James was at hers but as she heard Petunia shouting downstairs that her dress didn't fit she decided that could wait.

As James snored on, Lily fiddled and adjusted the crowns until she had 6 identical flower wreaths. Reaching for her wand, she added a spell to make the flowers stay fresh all day. She gathered them up and poked her head out of her room. Mr Evans was strolling down the corridor and she grabbed him before pulling him into her room.

'Dad, can you keep an eye on him while I show Tuney the crowns?'

'Sure.' Mr Evans looked at the snoring boy with disapproval. 'You're mum said he's drunk.'

'His parents died last night.' Lily whispered. Her father's expression of displeasure changed instantly to one of understanding.

'Bloody hell!' He shook his head. 'Poor bloke. That is-'

'FREAK!' Lily's sister's voice echoed through the house causing them to jump in shock.

'You'd better go see what that's about.' Mr Evans frowned. 'I wish she'd stop calling you that.'

'Yeah…' Lily left and headed down the corridor to her sister's room. The flower crowns passed the examination of the insistent Bride and Lily even got a smile from her sister when she told her she looked pretty in her wedding dress. Soon the bridesmaids received their flower crowns and there was momentary calm while they all admired their finished outfits of floating yellow dresses with white stilettos and now a wreath of beautiful pure white flowers. Then there was a scream of rage as everyone realised Lily had not changed into her dress and shoes yet. Oliva, Marge, Petunia and the finally arrived Maid of Honour pushed her in the direction of her room.

'I'm back.' she said into the room and Mr Evans leapt up from the chair behind the desk at the far end of the room. James was still fast asleep. Lily's father clapped her on the shoulder and left. Looking cautiously at the sleeping male, she closed her door and stripped into her underwear. As fast as she could, Lily pulled the bridesmaid dress over her head.

'Nice bra, Evans.'

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