The Ninth Hour
Prologue
12:03 PM
It was high noon in early August, and one Lily Evans was sweltering.
(Why was she sweltering? After all, this is England. Well - try standing around in 80-degree weather with a huge, poofy bridesmaid dress and then you may know why dear Lily was sweltering.)
"It's so humid," Lily gasped, tugging at her collar. The dress was a puce green that, while disgusting, didn't look half as bad on her as it did on Marlene. They were the only bridesmaids, and Lily's auburn hair did the dress far more justice than Marlene's thick brown.
"I'll stick it out for Alice," Marlene said, growling as yet another pair of "esteemed relatives" made it down the aisle. "Why is her wedding so...big?"
"We knew it would be when we agreed to it," Lily whispered. "Look - there she is!"
Finally, down the aisle came the bride, in a (thankfully) white dress and veil, looking far too happy.
"She probably had the air conditioning on in her dressing room," Marlene lamented. Lily shushed her as the bride made it down the aisle to meet her husband-to-be.
It was a rather large wedding, with a hundred guests at the very least. Alice had spared no person from invitations, but Lily personally thought that it was a very beautiful way to be married.
Across from the bridesmaids stood the groomsmen, Remus Lupin and Fabian Prewett. The former was looking a bit shabby even in his black suit, while the latter was cheesily joyful, his shock of yellow hair plastered flat with hair cream.
Then, in the center and at the altar, stood Frank Longbottom, a short fellow with an easy-going look to him. He was dressed in a classic tuxedo, his face quite pink as Alice appraocehd with her bouquet of yellow roses.
Lily sighed as the couple exchanged their vows. Not only was she delighted that her friends were now married, she knew that the reception would be in a nice, air-conditioned hotel - thank goodness.
What Lily didn't know was that soon to come were nine hours, distinct and horrible, that would never leave her memory.