Lily Potter looked nervously at a muggle pregnancy test. Biting her lip, she swiped a hand through curly crimson locks as her anxiety only increased as time went on. It had all been a mistake. One she hopes will soon be able to put behind her and that no one would ever have to know. It would be a new skeleton in her closet. Plenty of people had them and no one ever found out.
It had happened two months ago, that she and James had an argument. She had learned that James, just as fool-hearty and arrogant as he was in school. Had decided to go to a party with the rest of the Marauders. Only to get himself drunk and sleep with some random woman. Of course, she was angry. Anyone in her position would be and to say the opposite would only make them a liar. There had been screaming, name-calling and things being thrown. The famous temper red heads were said to have made itself known. She felt she had been fully entitled to such a reaction, and to be perfectly honest she had seriously considered divorce.
They had a son together, a perfect little boy that she had given birth to thirteen months ago. It had been the happiest moment of her life and had nearly completed the picture she had of the perfect family. All that would be left was to have a little girl and everything would have been right in her world. However, James had to ruin it with his thoughtless actions, and it had felt like her whole world was crashing down. Piece by piece everything was being torn away. She had lost her sister to her jealousy, her parents to drunks that decided driving was a wonderful idea, she lost her best friend to the prejudice of the wizarding world, and now it seems she lost her trust in her husband due to his thoughtlessness.
Wanting time to herself, she had fled to the muggle world. The British magical community was so outdated and behind on the times that if anyone had tried to follow her they would have been in for an unpleasant surprise. James, while he had been willing to try, was very much like the other purebloods in that he did not believe that muggles could have possibly gotten so far ahead of them. They still thought that the greatest discovery the muggles had yet was the typewriter for Merlin's sake. Even with her frustration at her husband's lack of care for her birth world, she could not help but feel grateful at the time. She could not bring herself to face James at the moment, she knew if she did that there would be more screaming and she might say something that she would forever regret. Cooling off, somewhere far away from him was by far the best thing she could do. She had thought about where to go to get away from him and the first thing that had crossed her mind was her hometown. There was not much she could do in her hometown; it had been small with a population a little over three hundred people. Everybody knew everybody there, it was somewhat hard not to. Even so, it was peaceful there and the people were kind. It would be a great place to go to help sooth her wounded heart.
Coming back to her birthplace had been very nostalgic for her, seeing old faces and familiar places gave her a sense of belonging she never had in the magical world. A world that thinks if your blood was not pure you were not worth the dirt on their expensive shoes. Being the wife of the head of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter did nothing to stop the people that looked down on her. If anything, it only increased those looks. Many a witch had been more than a tiny bit jealous when James had only given her his attentions throughout their Hogwarts carriers and even went as far as marrying her. Most had told her that he had merely planned to find release with her and then he would throw her away like the mudblood garbage she was. A sob tore through her at the thought, remembering one person who had said as much, the boy she had thought her best friend. His words had hit her harder than anyone else and it had caused the end of their friendship as well as pushed her towards James when he found and comforted her latter that day. It did not stop the hateful look she always saw on his face, and the sneers of disgust on the faces of the people her ex best friend had surrounded himself with at all times.
Here there were no such looks; everyone had welcomed her back with open arms. They had introduced her to all the (admittedly few) new faces that had moved into town. The elderly couple that had looked after her has a child, Mr. And Mrs. Johnson, had regaled her with tales of all that she had missed while she had been off at private school. It was happy and peaceful and helped take her mind off her problems if only for a minute. Even with the friendly atmosphere, she was careful not to mention the true reason she was here. A small town meant that gossip went around fast; she really did not need everybody and their mother knowing her husband had been unfaithful.
It was nice, being in her old town had been a balm for her soul, but she had not been ready to come back. It had only been a few days since she left and she knew that seeing James so soon would only make her fall apart. She may have gotten slightly better but she was nowhere near fixed. Staring out at the sunset, she could not help but remember the times she lived here. The happy memories, when her parents were still alive and her sister had not hated her. In fact, thinking on it, she could remember this one time when her parents had taken them all to the United States. It was for a family vacation and she remembered all the laughs she shared with Petunia.
Like when they had went to Disney World, the rides were so filled with excitement and wonder. A memorable event in their youth was the time she and Petunia had been walking around trying to find a changing room. The both of them had been soaking wet from head to toe after just coming of the Popeye ride, when people wearing stilts started walking by them. It was amazing, watching them move with such grace and poise; she could not help imagining herself in their place and knew she would have been a mess. Limbs would have been all over the place and she knew she would have broken something without a doubt. One man was on four stilts, he had been pretending to be a giraffe. He had looked at them, as if just noticing the tiny people in compassion staring up at him. He had stared for a long moment before a smirk lit his features and out of nowhere he had taken off in a full on charge at them. She and her sister had ran away screaming in terror and hid behind a booth. When their hearts had calmed down and they finally processed what had happened they had shared a look before bursting into hysterical laughter*1. It had been a great vacation. One that ended with them spending their last day in a beach in New York. The Montauk beach if she remembered correctly.
That had been it, an idea popped into her head. In that instant, she had an undeniable urge to go back to Montauk beach. If her memory was right, there was a little cabin there. She could get away from everyone there. Yes, staying in her birthplace had been great, it did not change the fact that one person knew she might be here, and that person was someone she wanted to talk to even less than she did James. Montauk had been a very relaxing place for her, maybe being there, where nobody knew of her could be the thing that helps heal her completely. It was not as if she had anything to lose by doing so.
She had been prepared when she left, even in her anger she had not just blindly ran out of the Potter mansion. No, she had packed many of her things in a pouch that had an extension charm on it, and then she went to Gringotts. She had the goblins take out 10,000 gallons and covert three quarters of it to muggle money. That way she could have the money to pay for transportation and food or any other necessity that she might be in need of along the way. Therefore, she bought a plane ticket to New York, and did her damnedest not to look back.
New York itself had changed a lot since she had been there, the streets were dirtier and the people always looked like they were in a hurry. Everyone was doing their level best to pretend that each other did not exist. To be honest, she did not know if New York that had changed or if it was she that was doing the changing. She had walked along; not willing to ask any one for directions, they all looked so angry she was afraid talking to them would only set them off. It had taken time, but she found a train station and one of the trains traveled to Montauk. It had been slightly difficult to get a ticket for it. She was out of practice for these things having spent the better part of the last ten years of her life in the magical world she had been a bit out of practice. Nevertheless, she bounced back easily enough and it was not long before she had the silk like sands of a beach wading through her toes.
Montauk had been just as she remembered. A nice quiet place that had an otherworldly feeling and a sense of peace. The sands were a light brown and held a seashell here and there for decoration. Crabs rested lazily along the shore's banks, content to soak in some sun while relaxing in their shallow pools. The air was fresh and smelled of seawater the breeze swept about lovingly against her skin. The sun shinned warmly on her back and danced off the crystal clear waves. When the beams of light hit just right it looked as if the sea had been made up entirely of diamonds. Truly, it had been amazing; she knew it had been the right thing to do to come here.
Entranced as she was at the waters swirling gracefully she never noticed the man that sat down next to her. Not until he finally spoke.
"Haven't seen you around here before." A baritone voice called out lightly. It was meant to be friendly but the voice had been so unexpected that she couldn't help but jump and press a hand to her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart.
Looking at her side, she was surprised to see an attractive man sitting next to her. He had dark raven hair and sea green eyes, tanned skin and a strong jaw. He wore a blue shirt and black shorts. He gazed at her with curious shinning in his eyes.
"What does it matter to you?" She snapped, turning away from him. It did not; well she did not think it mattered to him. The man was probably just trying to come over and flirt with her. Once he saw that she was not going to fall for his charms he will get bored and leave to find some gullible girl that would swoon over his every move.
Her annoyance at his presence only seemed to amuse him if anything else. He gave a quiet chuckle before focusing on the waves in front of them
"Calming isn't it" he said softly.
There was something in his voice, a tranquil quality to it as he spoke. It caused her to once again, turn to him. He was not looking at her, his eyes glued to crystal waters; he had placed a hand within the water and was idly playing with a small fish that was near the shore.
She did not know what it was, but something pushed her to talk to him. She felt there might be something about him that was different from the others. She did not understand how, but it was in the way he held himself; like a king. Someone of high station that was comfortable in their skin yet at the same time, lacked that arrogant quality that were in so many of high status, her husband included.
"Yeah, the waters here are just as beautiful as I remember." She said quietly.
She never noticed him stiffen and look at her as if he finally saw her. There was a recognition in his eyes that was not there before. This only lasted for a split second before his attention was back on the water, this time a thoughtful look on his face.
"You've been here before?" He asked curiously, and she could not help but smile. The memories she had coming here was some of her happiest. She did not hesitate to regale him with stories of visiting with family as a child.
He watched in fascination as her eyes lit up as she spoke of her family. He watched as her eyes shown with respect and awe as she described her mother, a strong and independent woman who was also kind and loving. The woman would always be there to help pick her up when she fell or tuck a lock of hair back as comfort her. In Lily's mind, her mother was the ideal woman and someone she aspired to be like. There was exasperated fondness as she regales him with tales of an eccentric and forgetful father, he was always good for a laugh and one could count on him to be the life of the party in any situation.
"Why I remember this one time, we had all went out to eat after a day of going on the rides. It was at this quiet little restaurant. Well, my father certainly was not going to have that. It would be an hour later the entire restaurant was doing karaoke and dancing competitions. Even the straight-laced manager joined in."
Then he noticed how her eyes dimmed and a bittersweet smile formed on pink lips. She began speaking of her sister that she does not talk to anymore, the one she used to have fun times with as a child that went on all sorts of adventures with together.
"I haven't spoken to her since I sent her my wedding invitation three years ago. She never showed up."
Lily had no idea why she was telling all this to a stranger, a man she had never met until today and would never see again after. Nonetheless, perhaps that was why she did tell him her problems, because she was just a stranger to him to, she did not have to worry about him taking sides or judging her because a stranger's opinion did not matter. It was just great to get things off her chest that she had wanted to express for years. Besides, he had been a great listener, laughing at all the right times, a sympathetic glance at all the sad memories and fond smiles at the crazy antics of her family. It had been nice, and she found herself relaxing more and more around him.
It was not long before he opened himself up to her as well. He mentioned that he was laidback and easygoing with a love of the sea and everything related to it. He even had a job that involved being out in the waters as often as possible. This is his favorite beach and he makes it a point to come here every year to just sit back and relax. He had a favorite older sister who is not around as often as she used to be. Said sister was a very kind person who valued family above all else. He had two brothers; they had not gotten along with one another since they had managed to escape from their abusive father. It was a clash of personalities, one was pessimistic, and the other was paranoid and entirely two dramatic for the other two brother's liking. He had a wife, he was not happy with her, it was an arranged marriage and she had a horrible personality. Yet despite that, he had a son that he loved even though he had a tendency to be a brat.
They had continued to talk the day away. Without her realizing it, the sun had begun to set and with that came the thought that she had no idea where she was going to spend the night. She could not recall any hotel for her to stay. None that that looked hygienic at any rate. Her new companion seemed to understand the cause of her rising panic even though she had done her best to keep it from her face.
"You can spend the night in my cabin," he offered, pointing towards the cozy looking cabin not far off. While it was not large it was not small either, it looked like it could fit a small family in it comfortably. "There is nothing to worry about; I won't try to take advantage of you or anything like that. You just look like you need a place to stay for right now."
She had sat there and thought for a minute, she remembered all those stories she heard on the news of women who ended up attacked by strange men and could not help but feel wary and hesitant about accepting his offer. There was a difference between talking to him on a public beach in front of hundreds of witnesses than going in a private cabin alone where it was liable no one would hear her cries for help. Then again, she was a witch and did have her wand on her. On the off chance that he did try something, she was sure she could protect herself.
Taking in a deep breath, she nodded, more to herself then him, "Yes, I think I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you very much."
He gave her a dazzling grin in response before rising to his feet. "Well then, let's get you settled in. after that we can make something to eat, or we could order out if you want?" he questioned, cocking his head to the side. His actions made her pause slightly, this man before her reminded her of someone. It was in his looks, his laugh, in the way he cocked his head. Yet, for the life of her, she just could not figure out who. Even so, she did not feel uncomfortable with this man so she let it go for now, if he were an enemy she would never feel so casual around him.
She decided to have a home cooked meal. Yes, the food here in New York was good (she had gained a small addiction to the pizza) but nothing could compare to a good home cooked meal. The walk to the cabin was filled with companionable silence; neither of them had felt the need to talk. Something that she was very happy about; it seemed that something good had come from her husband's infidelity, she had gained a new friend. Someone who she felt more at peace with then she ever did around… Him.
The cabin itself was just as cozy in the inside as it was in the outside. Soft shag carpeting, plush sofas and couches, there was a kitchen in the back and three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The entire cabin seemed to have a sea theme. It smelt like a sea breeze had just blown in and the carpet was a sandy brown with the walls being a light blue. The furniture was a mahogany brown and tastefully complimented the other fixtures. Paintings lined the walls, yet Lily noted that there was no pictures of family up. It made everything seem as if he was single, but then again there was nothing in the cabin to heavily suggest that it was only a male that resided here. Perhaps this is where either he or the misses went when they go tired of one or the other (most likely with each other) and went to cool off.
"Come on, I'll show you to the guest room and let you settle in." he said lightly as he led her to the back where the rooms were. When he stopped at the door to the room she was going to stay in, he gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning and going back to the living room.
She walked in and set her bag next to the dresser by the bed before sitting on the bed itself. Staring down at the soft carpet, she wondered how James was handling her being gone. Was he looking for her? Did he decide to let her have her space until she calmed down? Did he even car that she was gone and just went off to party more and sleep with more random whores?
She had been gone for a week, and would like to think that he was concerned and guilty over what he had done. She would like to think that he wanted to apologize. She would like to think that she scared him into not acting so recklessly for the sake of their marriage. But, that was being too hopeful; she knew that even if it broke her heart. James was the type of person to only learn a lesson when it was to lake to fix his mistake. He would never stop his wild ways, he valued his friends the marauders more than he did his wife and child and it would take a true shock to his system to get him to stop.
A knock on the door snapped her out of her depressing thoughts. She looked up to see the man that she had become attached to in a matter of a day, carefully put his head in and give her a concerned look, "Are you okay, you look like you're having some depressing thoughts?"
"No, i-it's okay..." and she stopped, because it had just occurred to her that she trusted this man, told him about her family, her problems, her fears and he had done the same to her. Yet she did not know his name, nor did he know hers. "I-I'm sorry but, what is your name?"
His eyes widened, realizing the same thing she did no doubt. That he was just as clueless about her as she was about him. Combing a hand through his hair, he gave an embarrassed sigh and a bashful smile made itself known on his face. "I could have sworn that I had better manners then this. I cannot believe I had not introduced myself this whole time. No wonder you were so weary of me. I am Poseidon" he introduced himself with giving a boyish smile.
"Poseidon? Like the Greek god of the sea?" Lily asked, her inner bookworm coming out to play
Sea green eyes lit up in amusement, "The very same. I was born on a stormy night by the ocean and my parents decided that it was a very fitting name for me to have. Would you be so kind as to give me your name?"
She blushed; really, she was just as guilty as he was for not giving her name to him. A lack of etiquette that would have pureblood women everywhere sneering at her. The wizarding world was very old fashioned, or at least the British wizarding world was. They still believed that women should be seen and not heard, but when they were that they had to be the pinnacle of grace, poise, and manners. A proper woman would not be willing to stay in a house alone with any man that was not her husband even if the intentions were innocent. If they could see her now she would be labeled a slut.
"My name is Lily, thank you for allowing me to stay here. It won't be long; I plan on going back home tomorrow." She finally responded when she gathered that in all her thinking she had not given him her name. She pointedly ignored the embarrassed blush on her face.
"Well Lily, you're welcome to stay for as long as you need. Even if it is just for a night. Come one, what do you want for dinner, you can help cook."
He only offered for her to help with the cooking for her comfort. He could understand her nervousness. The thought of being all alone with a strange male, how was she to know whether he put something harmful in the food that he intended to give her. Her preparing the food along with him and seeing everything that went into it should put her more at ease.
She entered his kitchen and looked around, after gaining his permission, she stared going through the cabinets. Her gaze full of curiosity as she tried to decide what to make for dinner. This was a fully stocked kitchen with everything a chief would need to make their every heart's desire. There was so many ideas flitting over her mind but in the end, she settled for something simple.
"Spaghetti sound good to you?" she called from her spot across the room.
"Sure, I haven't had it in a long time. I will set up the pot why do not you start on getting the ingredients prepared and I will join you." He agreed, already moving to see what pot would be best it hold the pasta.
Lily shook her head and smiled slightly; she was by no means an idiot and understood exactly what he was doing. It made her happy to know that he was so concerned over her feelings of being safe and having control that he was practically giving her the run of his house. James would have never done such a thoughtful action. James. Her happiness left her as she was reminded why she was even here in the first place.
A hand settling on her shoulder caused her to jump in fright, only for her to catch concerned sea green orbs gazing down at her. When he had her attention he removed his hand and moved to a more polite distance away from her, but the concern in his eyes remained.
"If it is not out of line for me to ask you this, can you tell me what's wrong? You seem like you are really shaken up about something. Is that why you came all the way here from England?"
Pursing her lips, she wondered whether it would be a good idea to tell him what was wrong. It was a very personal question after all. Yet, she thought back to the talks they had together on the beach and how understanding he was. He had even opened up to her and shared some of his personal secrets if she could believe his words to be true.
"Maybe I'll tell you later. Right now let's worry about making dinner." She conceded, wanting a bit of time to gather her thoughts on how in the world she was going to explain her marital problems with a complete stranger. No matter how nice that stranger was.
Poseidon did nothing, merely nod his head before going to the cabinets to get out the ingredients that she missed when she got lost in thought. He did not push her, and that was something that she was coming to like about him. Lily was wondering if she should even bother to continue thinking of Poseidon as a stranger. Already he was proving to be a far better friend then Sev- then He ever was. Perhaps she could find a way to keep in contact with him even after she returns to the wizarding world.
Walking up to him, the both of them worked on cutting up the vegetables in silence as they allowed the water to boil. In was a nice silence, one that only close friends could have with one another. It did not take long for her good mood to return. Her raven-haired friend picked up on it and soon they were laughing, joking, and acting like children. Throwing small pieces of fruit at each other and breaking out into chuckles or giggles if one hit. Soon, most of the food was stuck in their hair or on their clothes but neither of them cared.
At some point in time, the laughter stopped, and they were staring into one another's eyes. Looking back on it, Lily would admit that it was an incredibly cheesy moment that one could only expect to happen in movies. They leaned in closer together, and shared a kiss. Quick, it was one brought about by the heat of the moment for her, and in an attempt to comfort for him. She could feel it. All he wanted was to comfort her, and make her pain go away, even if it was only for a little while. Lily had decided to allow him to bring her that comfort.
He brought her to his room, and the rest was history. There was no romance involved, only one person trying to heal and be there for another. Poseidon was a very giving person that seemed willing to do anything to help someone he deemed worth it. Be it agreeing to marry a woman he did not love for his little brother, or using his body to help a friend forget their burdens.
They had separated of friendly terms the next day. Poseidon had wished her well on making up with her husband and hopefully finding some sort of resolution that would ultimately make her happy. She had wished him luck on finding a woman he could love with every part of himself, and that maybe, he and his wife could learn to be friends.
She had returned home. James, as she had thought, was out partying with Sirius. Only Remus (sp?) had stayed behind to actually look for her. He had told her that James had slowed down his wild lifestyle a bit and that James claimed to be going out on his last wild ride with Sirius before finally settling down. She did not know if she could believe that to be the truth. But, she was willing to try.
Now, it seemed as if her world was tumbling down once more. The test results finally showed up. She was pregnant.
*1 This actually happened to my mom and me when we went to Disney world.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It turned out to be longer that I had anticipated but I enjoyed making it.
This story was adopted from mai321lunatic
Do not be surprised if my updates do not happen often. I am in college and have a life. But I will try to be consistent on when they are updated.