"Maeve! It's my wedding! MY WEDDING!" Lily was running around, flapping her hands. She was acting like she was getting married to James today. Maeve was sitting calmly in a chair flipping through a magazine.
"In a week Lily." She said in a bored voice. Lily didn't hear her.
"I'm getting married. So happy!! I need to get a dress though. Uh oh… I kinda forgot." Maeve looked up from her magazine.
"You forgot?"
"I forgot." Lily said staring at Maeve.
"How can you forget?" Maeve asked her.
"Gotcha! You dolt! Which idiot would forget their wedding dress. Do I look like a moron to you?" Lily didn't see where she was going and banged her head on a bookshelf. Maeve ran to help her friend up.
"Don't even think about it." Lily warned as Maeve helped her sit on a chair. Lily was holding her head and was in great pain. Maeve wiped her head with her hand and Lily's headache cleared up.
"Now what are we going to do?" Maeve asked.
"I don't know." Lily took the magazine Maeve was reading earlier.
"Hey that's mine" Maeve said taking the magazine out of Lily's hands.
"No it's isn't. You left it on the couch."
"To help you"
"Give it back."
"No!" Lily lunged at Maeve. She knocked her to the ground and wrestled for the magazine.
"Give me the bloody magazine." Lily said trying to break Maeve fingers.
"Nuh, uh. Just 'cause you're marrying Potter doesn't mean you have to be conceited like him." Lily gasped in horror.
"Did you just call my fiancée conceited?"
"I think I just did." Maeve said thinking for a minute. She took the time Lily looked at her to pin her down on the floor.
"Not fair!" She screamed. Maeve grinned. The door opened and Sirius came in with James.
"Er… Why's Lily on the floor?" James asked.
"James help me!" Lily yelled. Maeve laughed and got off Lily. Lily got up and lunged at Maeve but Sirius caught her round the middle.
"Apapapapa. You don't want to do that now, do you?" Sirius flashed her a thousand pound smile.
"No." Lily said sounding like a small child. James laughed and hugged Lily.
"Soon you'll be Mrs Potter." He told her. Lily smiled.
"Mrs Potter." She said twisting her ring. Maeve noticed.
"When I get married I don't want to have a ring. I hate rings." Sirius looked at her curiously.
"What do you want then?" Sirius asked.
"Why, you going to get it for me?" Maeve said raising an eyebrow at him. Sirius blushed.
"Just to know. Maybe for the future" He winked at her.
"A bracelet or a necklace with an engraving." She said simply.
"Why not a ring?" James asked curiously.
"Cause I've got chubby fingers and they don't look good on me." She said.
"Did you want a ring?" James asked Lily worriedly.
"Yes James. It's perfect." And indeed it was. With James' first salary he got her a sapphire ring. Blue was Lily's favourite colour. It was a weird ring because it was blue but green emeralds swirled inside. James kissed her when she had said this.
"So you guys are finally getting married after being together for two years." Maeve exclaimed. They had finished Hogwarts and they all had their own jobs. Lily and James were unspeakables. Sirius planned Auror raids and Maeve worked as a teacher. Remus worked part-time in a bookshop. He didn't earn much but he earned enough to rent a small apartment near Godric's Hollow. They all lived fifteen minutes away from each other but in different cities. Maeve and Sirius lived the furthest away from James and Lily. They were a half an hour drive, as Sirius liked to point out to anyone who wanted to hear him brag about how he passed the driving test.
"And we're going to be your best man!" Sirius shouted hugging James. James and Lily laughed. They had worked out that Sirius and Maeve would be their first child's godparents and then Remus could be the godfather of their next child. It worked well for everyone.
-
-
"Maeve seriously, when you baby-sit my kids they'll never want to leave your place." Lily said looking around at Maeve's and Sirius' house. They had bought it two years ago but they decided to furnish only when Lily and James got married. When they were questioned about this they answered that they wanted to see if they really were going through with the wedding. If Lily and James broke up, they'd break up as well. Lily and James didn't question their sanity after that.
"It's not that good." Maeve said.
"Not that good?" Lily looked at the living room. It had one wall painted red and a black couch in front. There was a big television screen that ran on magic. This was because Sirius wasn't arsed to fiddle around with plugs but he enjoyed watching movies with Maeve. There were two red couches on each side of it and a wooden table in the middle. This was where they played board games every night. It was a tradition, ever since they set up the house, for the group to come over to have fun nights. They went to the kitchen and saw a modern kitchen with shiny worktops. When they had first moved in the worktops were wooden and they were full of scratches. Maeve's and Sirius' room were adjoined with a bathroom. Lily had drawn and hung up pictures from their school life. Sirius' room was red and gold and had banners of Gryffindor and his favourite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. The orange clashed horribly with the red but Sirius stubbornly refused to change the décor.
"I love your house!" Lily exclaimed. They took some refreshments and went out in the garden. It was a beautiful garden with a pool. It had a patio and chairs that looked nice but hard; they were, in fact, magically charmed to be very comfortable. Maeve and Lily sat by the pool and discussed the wedding. Or at least tried to but they went off topic.
"Aren't you scared about the future?" Maeve asked Lily. Lily looked at her.
"Shit scared." She replied.
"It's just we're in the real world."
"We've been in this world for two years." Lily told her.
"I know you idiot. But I mean with this new Lord rising and gaining more power… I'm scared." Lily knew why her friend was scared. If Voldemort ever fond out that she was a Shayre, he would seek her out and try to convince her to join his side. She would, Lily knew, refuse and the Voldemort would kill her. But Maeve wasn't even thinking of that. She was thinking that Lily and James only had a couple more years to live.
"You know what I've learned? Take Life how it comes. If it comes nicely, then that's good. If it comes badly, then we're in deep shit and have to fix it up. It can only go badly if you choose for it to go like that." Maeve nodded looking out of space.
"And Death?" She asked.
"If I die, I die. I'd rather die young and for a good cause rather that old and in my sleep." Lily said firmly. Maeve had to use all of her willpower to stop the tears from coming.
"Lily promise me one thing." Lily looked at her. "Wait."
"Wait for what?" Lily asked smiling. But Maeve had a serious look on her face.
"Wait. You'll know when it comes." Lily nodded but did not say anything. They picked another topic and for the rest of the evening they spoke about nonsense.
-
-
-
"MY WEDDING DAY!" Lily yelled running around Maeve's house. Sirius was holding a frying pan and looking at his future sister-in-law.
"Lily it's morning and this omelette looks delicious. Let's eat and then you'll get ready."
"Siiiiiirius! I'm getting married." Lily said laughing and twirling around on her own.
"Oh I'm devastated. Know you'll never know how I truly feel about you." Maeve came down the stairs and raised an eyebrow at him.
"What the hell Black?" Sirius grinned at her.
"Yup, it was always your friend. I thought you should know before this relationship gets serious." Maeve looked at him and burst out laughing.
"Guys quit playing around. I'm getting married in a couple of hours."
"Actually try four hours." Maeve said while Sirius went back into the kitchen.
-
"I'm getting married… NOW!" Lily stood in her wedding gown. Maeve looked at her and a tear leaked out of her eye. Her best friend was getting married.
"I love you so much Maeve." Lily said and she burst out crying.
"I love you too" Maeve said sobbing. They hugged for a long time until Sirius came in. He looked like he had done his share of crying as well. His eyes were all red and bloodshot. He looked at the two girls hugging and took Lily apart.
"Lils." Lily looked up at him drying her eyes with a tissue. "Look no one could be better for James. I mean I doubt anyone could stand him." Lily managed a weak chuckle. "And you two are so sweet. And Lily…" Sirius started crying and his tears ran down his cheeks. "Keep him safe, and happy? If you dare break his heart, I don't give a shit that you're a girl, I will hunt you down." Lily burst out crying again and hugged Sirius. Maeve came in.
"What is the best man going to steal the bride?" Maeve said laughing. She joined the hug and Remus came in.
"Hey Lily. Did Sirius give you his talk?" Lily looked at him and nodded. "I will also hunt you down as well." Lily smiled.
"Thanks you guys but I gotta go and get married." Sirius and Remus ran out of the room because they had to be there before the bride. Lily's dad came in smiling and took Lily's arm. He walked her down the aisle to an impatient James.
-
-
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest smiled at the bride and groom. For a while no one spoke. Then the priest looked at Sirius. "The rings?" He asked. Sirius' eyes widened. He put his hand into his empty pocket. Lily's nostrils started flaring.
"I knew this was going too well" James muttered. Sirius smiled sheepishly.
"Er… can we proceed without the rings?" He said smiling at Lily. Lily gave him a glare but nodded.
"You may now say your vows." The priest said.
"Well I'm not good at speaking in front of people but I guess I have to say something." James grinned at Lily. She smiled back at him. "Well Lily, I've been after you ever since our fourth year. I've liked you since then and loved you since our last year. I don't know if we would ever get together if it wasn't for our two best friends, Sirius and Maeve. Now I know Sirius kinda ruined the day by forgetting the rings…" Everyone laughed and James grinned again, "but still he helped me with Lily. He kept telling me never to give up. And then he started dating Maeve and then, well I got to know the real you, Lily. I saw beyond your prettiness, your smartness and sexiness. I got to know that you're fun and funny, you're great at getting jokes and making me laugh. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Lily smiled at him.
"James. Also known as Potter. I don't know why I hated you at the beginning. Your smart, your funny…"
"And sexy." Remus said from next to Lily. Lily laughed.
"There are some things I disagreed on and I probably will never forgive you for them but, well what I want to say is… I really love you. And I will for the rest of my life." James bent down and kissed Lily full on the lips. The few people that were in the church clapped and cheered.
"I FOUND THE RINGS!" Sirius yelled. He obviously hadn't heard anything that was said. He was too busy searching for the rings he had lost.
"You see I had put them in the coat, not in the pockets outside the coat." He looked at their faces. "You don't care do you?" Lily laughed.
"Come here, you" And she hugged him tight.
"I'm married!" James said yelling.
-
-
That night everyone was enjoying themselves. Lily danced the first dance with her father, then with James and then danced with Remus and Sirius. For the rest of the night Lily and James were sitting at their table talking with Maeve and Sirius.
"I'm Godfather, right?" Sirius asked.
"Yup, you and Maeve." Lily said taking a sip of her water.
"What about me?" Remus asked outraged.
"Second son or daughter." James said.
"But how about if you don't have another kid?" Remus said his voice getting all high.
"Rem, you're doing it again." Maeve told him.
"What am I doing?" He asked.
"Your voice." Sirius told him.
"What. You mean it's going all high again?" He clutched his throat. His friends all nodded at him. "Damn!"
"So, where are you going for your honeymoon?" Maeve asked Lily and James.
"We're thinking of going nowhere." James told them.
"WHAT?" Sirius and Maeve said at the same time.
"Yeah, we'd rather spend time with you guys." Lily told them.
"Aww, I'm touched. But I'm going to have to sleep at your house tonight, in case you forgot, and I don't want to hear… er…noises." Lily blushed red while James grinned at him.
"We'll go to a hotel for the night." He told Remus.
"Or… or…. You can come at our place." Sirius offered.
"Nah I like the hotel idea more." Remus told him.
"Fine. You don't like our place. Last time your eating my pasta." Maeve said haughtily.
"Maeve…" Remus warned. Maeve smiled at him and hugged him.
"You know I love you." She told him.
"Hey where do I come?" Sirius asked. Maeve looked at him and kissed him on the lips. Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus.
"Whatever, Sirius." He said and went back to eating his food.
-
-
"That was a fun night." Maeve said plonking herself on a couch. Sirius shut the door behind him and took off his jacket. He went over to Maeve and kissed her. As he deepened the kiss he sunk her slowly in the couch. Maeve was kissing back with as much force as he was.
"Sirius," She said after a while. "I can't do this." She pushed his back and sat straight up. Her dress strap was broken and wouldn't stay up. Sirius looked at her but respected her decision.
"Maybe another time." He said and went up the stairs to his room. Maeve looked at his back and sat down on the couch.
Two Months Later
"Maeve! I got news for you!" Lily said happily as she skipped towards Maeve. Maeve noticed that Lily had put on some weight.
"Yes?" She said cautiously. She thought she knew what the news was, and judging by her calculations she should have been right.
"I'm pregnant!" Lily screamed. Maeve jumped to hug her best friend.
"Pregnant! Oh Merlin!!! I'm going to be an aunt! I'm going to be a Godmother!" Maeve looked at Lily. Her face was shining and it was bright with happiness. Maeve's heart sank. With the baby coming that means Lily had months to live.
"It's so awesome Lils. How many months?"
"Two."
"And it took you so long to find out?" Maeve said.
"Well…" Lily blushed and Maeve put her hand up.
"I don't want to know." She laughed and hugged Lily again.
"A baby. A baby!" She kept repeating the same thing.
"James is telling Sirius now." Maeve's smile faltered. "Actually, how are things between you and Sirius?" Lily asked.
"Well I think he's embarrassed. He won't be in the same room with me and when we talk it's the forced kind of talk." Lily nodded.
"He doesn't hate you or anything?"
"Merlin, no!"
"I'll find out from James and tell you."
-
"Maeve." Lily said coming back after an hour or two. "I had a little chat with James. He told me about Sirius."
"And…"
"Well he told me that Sirius told him that he thought he was putting too much pressure on you. And because he really likes you he doesn't want you to hate him." Maeve looked at Lily.
"Hate him?"
"Don't kill the pregnant messenger." Lily grinned.
"I still can't believe you're pregnant! And with Potter's kid!" A new voice was heard.
"What's wrong with 'Potter's kid'?" Asked James as he hugged Lily gently around the middle.
"Nothing, nothing." Maeve said smiling.
"Tell me."
"Well who would have thought that Lily would end up married to you AND have your kid." Maeve told them.
"Well that is what married couples do." Lily pointed out.
"Come on sweetie we have to go over to my mum's house now." They bade each other farewell and left Maeve's house. Maeve sat on the couch putting her thoughts in order. The front door opened and Sirius came in with the mail.
"I've collected this weeks mail." He yelled and went up the stairs to his room. Maeve couldn't stand this thing between them and went up to his room. She opened the door and saw him lying on his bed, all of his lights off. She padded to his bed and lay down.
"Maeve?" He asked.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked staring at the ceiling,
"Well I want to know why my boyfriend won't talk to me. If he likes me as much as he tells his best friends, then why, why in Merlin's name won't he talk to me?" She was looking at him. Sirius turned to face her.
"Because your boyfriend is scared of losing you." He said softly.
"Well I'm not." Maeve took off her t-shirt and kissed Sirius on the lips. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her back. He kept telling her he was sorry for the pain but she never said anything. As they slept in each others' arms that night, they had dreams of each other and their future.