Mastermind.
Prologue: Nine Out of Ten.
Here I am, sitting in a gorgeous church, in a hot stuffy muggle tux, watching my best mate, and soul mate get married to each other. I need to stare at something besides her.
I take the Bible next to me, and a piece of loose leaf flutters out. 'The Ten Commandments,' it reads in very serious looking writing. I start reading them, seeing how bad I really am on the sin scale.
ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'
Well, there's one I haven't broken, excellent.
But then I realize that having a god before God meant I was putting something else above Him, and I did that with her. I did that with her every day.
Shit.
One down…
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
If it came between worshipping God and worshipping a picture of Lily, Lily would win. Hands down.
THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
Ouch, um…
Okay, really, who doesn't swear?! Honestly!
Three down…
FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
Bullocks. I am not sitting at home, doing nothing on a Sunday morning. Usually James works Saturday nights, so I get to wake up and have her in my arms…
STOP it. You're the freaking best man for Merlin's sake!
Four down…
FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'
Oh, um… About that whole 'mother' and 'father' bit… I'm sure if God ever met them, he wouldn't honor them either. So, I guess that doesn't count as much. They're rotten and deserve it.
And I'm pretty sure being in love with a "mudblood" isn't exactly paying my respects to their memories.
Five down…
SIX: 'You shall not murder.'
If there was one thing I would never do, it would be murder. I would never, ever kill someone for pleasure or spite. It would have to be a self defense thing. I almost have gotten someone inadvertently murdered… but that's a different story…
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
It's not adultery.
"I do." She said, beaming up at my best mate.
"And do you James Harold Potter promise to cherish, in sickness and health, until death do you part, Lily Marie Evans?" I shivered at the sound of her name.
He smirked. "I do."
NOW it's adultery.
Six down…
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
I steal her. I steal her body, I steal her mind. I steal my best mate's girl.
Well, that's a bit harsh, I would say borrowing. I always give her back… even if I don't really want to.
Seven down…
NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
Did bearing false witness mean blatantly lying to your best friend every single day? Any have been since you were sixteen? Hmm, I think it does.
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
Yes, I do covet. I covet her more than is bearable.
And as she walks down the aisle, her white train fanning out behind her, glowing only as a newlywed bride can; our eyes connect. The unreal clarity of emerald green meets my guarded gray, and her smile falters. I can hear her thoughts as clearly as if I was a legimins:
This is what you wanted, right?
I can't do anything but break the contact, and look back down at the piece of paper I'm holding. Nine out of ten commandments broken… I put the page back into the Holy book and slam it shut. I put it down on the pew and stand up. She's still looking, wanting an answer.
I shut my eyes and try to remember how I… she… we got here…