Disclaimer: I don't own hp, and you can't sue me anyway, because you're not JKR. Plus, she won't sue me either, because on her site she says she loves hp ff and she loves how much it's inspired people to write. But just encase she changes her mind, there's my disclaimer.

Dedication: Dedicated to everyone who's been in a situation they didn't want to be in, and has fought their way out.

A/N: Ok, so I got this idea from some lecture in assembly (omg, can you seriously believe it? I can't…) about Indians and how sometimes they still have arranged marriages, and I wondered what might happen if wizards did the same thing…

James led back onto his bed and breathed out loudly. It was great to be home.

Hogwarts was good and all, but to be in your own home once more was almost better than anything. Unfortunately he knew it wasn't good for his friends, since Sirius hated his family, Remus would have to undergo transformations on his own, and Peter? Who knows what he got up to at home?

He closed his eyes and rolled over onto his side. His trunk lay still packed at the end of his bed, and he probably wouldn't unpack it for a few days – as usual.

It was a sunny day, and his window was open letting a faint breeze waft in the smell of the flowers in the garden, but James did not feel compelled to go outside. Usually he'd go outside and fly around for a bit, but he was tempted just to lay back and think. Next time he went back to school it would be his last year, and that was a rather frightening thing.

He'd be let loose onto the world, and even that was a frightening thought. And the fact that he'd made up his mind he was going to fight Voldemort scared him even more. He remembered the day he had decided that he would become an auror just to fight him. The revelation scared him, sending shivers down his spine and making his stomach drop, but he had stuck with it. He had the marks that he wanted, and he was going to fight him no matter what. School was hard, yet enjoyable, and most of the time he spent hanging around with his friends was used in thinking up more pranks to send the school into another bout of chaos.

That was one of the things he loved most about school. And the other – her.

He knew she didn't like him, she thought he was cocky and stuck up, but he was trying harder now, and he pretended that he didn't notice when sometimes, just sometimes, his gazes were returned.

He just loved the way her hair flopped into her face when she was excited, and how her eyes twinkled with amusement. Her smile was everything to him, and her laugh was the music he craved everyday. He loved her eyes, her hair, her fiery spirit, heck he'd realised it a few weeks ago; he loved her.

The revelation had startled him to begin with, and then he realised that he had always known it. Sirius couldn't understand why he didn't get over her, and to tell the truth neither did James.

There was a knock at his door and he sat up, watching as his dad came in. His dad looked quite a bit like him, he had the same hair, raven black and impossible to tame, and he had the same sparkling eyes, even if his were blue.

"Hey dad," James said with a smile. His had hadn't been able to come and pick him up from the train, since he was busy at the auror office.

"Hi James, did you have a good year?" he asked with a smile, hugging his son and then sitting on the end of James's bed.

"Yeah," James said with a cheeky smile, knowing full well that his dad knew about all the trouble he got up to.

"Excellent, so, give me a few highlights."

James knew by now that every time he came home from school his dad would talk to him about his year. They were always fun talks, and he looked forward tot hem when the school year was ending. Things were never awkward between James and his dad, things flowed freely and they were able to tell each other anything.

The talked for a while, and didn't notice as the sun became to set and the room was filled with a soft red glow. "So," said his dad leaning back. "Found anyone special yet?"

James was always able to tell his dad anything, but he'd just never told his dad about Lily. He couldn't understand why not, and he realised that now might be a good time to bring it up. Who knows? He dad might even be able to help him.

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, there is this one girl."

"Oh, do tell," said his dad with a smile as he watched the look cross his son's face.

Yes. The look.

"Her name's Lily," James said with a smile, loving the way it sounded. "She's amazing, and she really is gorgeous. I've never met anyone like her, she's unique," he said with a smile. His eyes connected with his fathers and they shared a smile.

"Well I'm happy for you," his dad said. "It'll be nice to be in a relationship before you settle down and get married."

James frowned slightly. "I don't think it will be a before marrage thing," he said quietly. "I've never really admitted it out loud, but I think she might be the one."

His dad chuckled quietly. "Well sorry son, but that's not really going to change anything."

"Change anything?" James asked with a puzzled look.

"I never knew when to tell you, but I guess I have to now. Ever since you were eight you've been arranged to marry Alice Hunting." (A/N: I can't find Alice's maiden name, so I made it up!)

James frowned even more. "No, that can't be right," he looked into his dad's eyes. "Can it?"

"I'm sorry," his dad said, and quietly he left the room.

James felt like his stomach had jumped off a cliff, and he had been left behind staring at it as it fell. No, this couldn't be right. How did he not know about this? He didn't even like the girl! Even Sirius called her a tart, and that was really something.

If he had not already been sitting down he was sure he would have fallen over. His mind was rqcing at a hundred miles an hour, and he was barely thinking as he quickly penned an urgent letter to Sirius telling him what he had just found out. The ink was blotted, and the letter was only just readable, and James was glad that for once he hadn't let his owl out of its cage.

He returned quietly to his bed after telling the owl to take his letter to Sirius and he put his head in his hands.

There was a knock at the door and he half expected one of his parents to come in, but instead their house elf stuck his head around the door.

"Master Potter, " he squeaked. "Dinner is ready."

He quietly found his voice and managed to say, "Tell my parents I'm not hungry." The elf bowed and left the room quietly.

It seemed like an age until there was a tapping at the window, although in real time it had o ly been around 5 minutes.

He quickly grabbed Sirius's note and read it. A smile crossed his face as he read the last lines, and he was already forming a plan in his mind.

James,

Holy shit! Mate, that's bad. Listen no matter what I'm here – we've got a wedding to crash.

A/N: So, what do you think? I'm sorry for the abruptness, but I really wanted to get into the story right away!