Author's note: Any misspelling in the dialogue is due to my portrayal of drunken speech and accents. The drinking song is an old Irish song I googled.
Lily, James, Peter, Remus and Sirius had decided that it was best if the five of them stayed together after graduation. After discussing their involvement with the Order of the Phoenix, they had spent the night in Hogsmeade. The next evening, they flood off together to Godric's Hollow. James's mum, Myrna, had invited them all to stay in her manor until they found flats of their own. When Lily stepped through the fire she let out a squeal of delight and rushed forward and embraced Myrna Potter. The woman had been a constant support for her after her parents had passed away.
"Lily, my darling, how are you?" Myrna asked, maternally.
"I'm as good as I can be Myrna, thank you," Lily replied.
James came through the fire next and dusted off his robes, also embracing his mother. He was closely followed by Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who fell to the floor when the Floo spit him out. He stood up, rubbing a sore spot on his knee. The three boys stood in front of the fire, smiling politely.
"Well, come on now, boys," Myrna said, gesturing them forward. She embraced each of them in turn. "Now, if you remember at all, Sirius, you know where you'll be sleeping, I've put another bed up there, you'll be sharing a room with Remus. James has his own room of course. Lily has hers as well; you'll remember where that is as well, dear."
Myrna stepped aside as the boys walked out of the parlor and entered the spacious entrance hall at Potter Manor. The marble floors were spotless and a huge golden and maroon throw rug covered the floor. It was very elegant. The staircase spiraled up to the second floor landing and then split off into two separate stair cases up to the third floor.
"Go wash up, all of you. I've prepared dinner in the dining hall."
With that, Myrna walked past the staircase and into a long hallway that led back into the manor.
"Come on, Lils, let's get you settled," James said, taking her trunk and levitating it in front of him. "You three," he said, pointing at the other Marauders, "don't go breaking my house now, hear?"
They all nodded, Sirius looking a little mischievous.
"Mum's got you all in my wing of the manor. There are only four rooms there. I think she's probably turned the old play room into Peter's room. Sorry you two have to share," he said, nodding at Sirius and Remus.
Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance and Remus said, "It's not a problem, Prongs, we'll get along fine." Sirius grinned.
When they had reached the second floor, James led them up the right stair case to the third floor. They emerged in a beautifully lit hallway. The carpet was plush and soft under their shoes. The walls were made of fine cherry wood with antique lamps. There were two doors in the hallway, both closed, one on each side. It ended in a huge foyer with windows facing the open hallway. James pointed to the door on the right. "Sirius, Remus, that's your room. Peter's on the other side. Lil's and my room are in past the sitting room, over yonder. You all have private baths."
The boys slipped off to their respective rooms and James led Lily to the foyer. "The house elves should take care of those, I'm sure." James pointed at their trunks.
Lily wrinkled her nose. "I don't like the idea of house elves, James. They remind me of slaves and that's such an old fashioned tradition. We're not going to have house elves are we?" she asked, embracing him.
He kissed her on the nose. "No my dear, we don't have to have any elves if you don't want to, though I'm sure mother will try and force some on us as wedding presents."
"Good, we'll just have to fend them off with a broom or something."
James laughed. "I'm sure we will." He leaned in and kissed her again. "I love you," he whispered and took her hand in his. He looked down at the ring he had given her; it sparkled brightly on Lily's finger. "This ring looks absolutely stunning on you."
"Thank you," Lily said, looking into his eyes, trying to convey all the things she was thankful for, not just the ring.
The couple continued to kiss but was rudely interrupted by a whistle from the doorway.
"Nice show you two, but wrap it up. I'm hungry." Sirius was leaning against the wall, just outside the foyer. Lily blushed, took James's hand, and headed off to dinner.
~MM~
"That was the best meal I have ever had," Sirius said, leaning his chair back and resting his arms on his stomach.
"It truly was a wonderful meal, Myrna," Remus replied, kicking Sirius's chair back down with a thunk.
"Oh, hush now boys," she said, waving a hand at them. "It was nothing. I do know how to cook when I want to. I made that. Not the house elves."
"Even more impressive," Sirius replied. "With that kind of cooking, I'm half tempted to ask your hand in marriage, but I'm simply not ready to be a father yet," Sirius said, joking and throwing a pointed look at James. Everyone laughed at the thought of Sirius as James's step-father.
The group lapsed into a companionable silence as they were served dessert by two house elves, one shriveled and elderly, the other obviously very young.
James cleared his throat. "Mum, I have something I'd like to announce." He grinned at Sirius and Lily, who smiled back politely. "Flog," he said, to the house elf at his elbow.
"Yes sir, what can Flog be doing for yous sir?" the house elf asked, bending low.
"I need you to serve the best wine, all around. I have a toast."
"Yes sirs, Flog will be right back with the bestest wine in the cellar, sir." Flog disappeared with a crack and was back seconds later with a silver tray and crystal wine glasses. He delicately poured the wine and handed out the glasses.
"What's the meaning of this James?" Myrna said, picking up her glass.
"I wanted to make a toast, dear mother, to my fiancée, Lily Evans." He held up his glass towards Lily.
Myrna broke out into a ridiculous grin. "Congratulations! James! Why didn't you tell me!? To James and Lily! The newest soon to be Potter!" she said, lifting her glass. Lily blushed and clinked her glass against Myrna's.
"Thank you. I am very excited," Lily said, smiling at James, who took her hand.
"Of course you are dear, of course you are. Have you two made any plans yet?"
"No, not really, we'd like to be married soon, of course, but I would like to plan a decent wedding as well."
"Well, we'll just have to get on that won't we? We can start pouring over plans after dinner. Are you going to have a traditional wizarding wedding or do you prefer to keep it to the Muggle traditions?"
"Mum, don't pester Lily just yet. We've only been engaged a day!" James said, indignantly.
Lily laughed. "No, James, it's really alright." She turned towards Myrna. "I think, since everyone who will be coming will be from the magical community we should stick to a traditional wizarding wedding."
"Lovely, I'll have to show you my wedding pictures tonight. James's father and I had the most beautiful wedding. God rest his soul." Myrna dabbed at her eyes. James looked uncomfortable.
Sirius broke the tension. "Well, Prongs, Wormy and Moony, why don't we go have a game of Quidditch while the ladies chat. Leave them to the frilly wedding things, and such."
The three boys agreed and left Lily and Myrna to their plans.
~MM~
After the boys had worn themselves out on brooms and Myrna gone to bed after showing Lily all her wedding photos, the Marauders, plus Lily, tromped up to their respective rooms. They said goodnight to Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail in the hallway and James and Lily walked hand in hand to their foyer.
The two spent a significant amount of time on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms. When they finally pulled apart, Lily asked about the plans for the following day.
"Are we going to start looking for a house soon? I love your mum but I don't want to live here for the rest of my life," she said, gesturing at the grand foyer they were sharing.
"I suppose we should start looking for one. Did you want to move in together before the wedding?" James held his breath as he waited for her answer. He knew she didn't want to consummate their relationship before they were committed to each other but he wasn't sure if that had meant marriage or engagement or just graduation.
Lily looked thoughtfully at him. "I don't see why we can't move in as soon as we find a place. We are adults now after all." She leaned down and kissed him again.
James grinned under her kisses and wrapped his arms around her.
~MM~
The morning dawned bright and early. Lily crept into James's room and threw open his blinds. "Rise and shine, sunshine. We've got a big day today," she said, grinning as James sat straight up in bed and sputtered incoherently. "Come on now, love. It's ten in the morning. Time to get up," Lily said, leaning over and planting a kiss on her fiancée.
James leaned into her kiss and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her down onto the bed with him. Lily shrieked and giggled as she fell. "James! We have to get going," she whined, slugging him playfully in the shoulder.
"Nmmn," James muttered, his lips pressed against Lily's. "Stwayinbedalldway," he mumbled, kissing her again.
Lily deftly rolled away. "Not on your life James Potter! Get up!" she said, ripping the covers from the bed.
"Oy!" James cried, grabbing at the sheets. Lily giggled. James was stalkers naked. "A man's got to have his dignity!" he said, rolling over onto his stomach.
Lily giggled again. "It looks like you have enough dignity for both of us right now. I'm off to take a shower and if you're quick enough, you might be able to join me," she said, grinning wickedly and skipping into James's bathroom.
Wide eyed James jumped out of bed, running for the bathroom door. Whack, he hit the door full speed, expecting it to open with ease. Instead, Lily had cast a sticking charm and locked it. He could hear Lily giggling over the sound of running water. "Not quick enough, Potter, maybe next time."
~MM~
That afternoon found Lily and James walking through town, hand in hand. They had an appointment with a magical realtor at two p.m. James had sent Sirius, Remus and Peter to the pub for the afternoon, hoping to keep them out of the way for the time being. As they walked to the first house they were looking at, Lily sighed.
"What's wrong, love?" James asked, concern written across his face.
"Nothing important. I just always though my mum would be around to help me decorate my first house and pick out furniture and decorate the nursery."
"Nursery?" James said, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, I hope we eventually have a little Potter running around one day," Lily replied, wistfully.
"We will, don't worry about that," James said, reassuringly. "We have plenty of time to practice." He grinned down at Lily. She smiled back mischievously.
"Yes, we do, don't we?"
James just shook his head. He didn't know how to comfort Lily when she was missing her parents. He knew Myrna could never take their place but he sincerely hoped that she felt loved by his mother.
"Here we are," James said, pulling them to a stop in front of a brown cottage, tucked away on the edge of town. "Doesn't look like much does it?"
Lily scrutinized the peeling paint and brown grass. "No it doesn't." Tentatively, she opened gate and walked up to the house. Immediately the door opened and a short, bald man with white hair protruding from his ears stood smiling at them from the entryway.
"James!" the man said, opening his arms to embrace the young man. "And this must be Lily, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Julius Frankleby, at your service," he said, shaking her hand. "Come in, come in. Let's have a look around."
He led them into a small, cramped living space with a dungy fire place in the far corner. James looked around skeptically and Lily scrunched up her nose. "I don't think is quite what we're looking for, sir. It's a little…small."
"We're looking for something more spacious and modern," James added poking his head into the dilapidated kitchen."
Julius smiled like they had just complimented the house. "Now, now, this house really is charming. Imagine a few cleaning spells, a restoration spell on the counters in the kitchen and whala, a charming starter home for a newlywed couple and the price is right, Mr. Potter. After all, you don't want to spend too much money on your first home."
"Really, Julius, how long have you known my family now? Do you really think money is an issue, sir?"
Julius's eyes lit up. "Well, I didn't want to make assumptions and we hadn't discussed a price point yet. Now what are you two looking for exactly? Are you looking for a quaint cottage or something to rival Potter Manor? Perhaps an estate in the country? I have a lovely place on the market outside of town, a quick apparition and here you are. I have a beautiful manor, perfectly in line with pure-blood tradition."
Lily bristled at that last comment. "No, thank you. That definitely is out of the question." She turned her back on the insulting man. Julius sputtered a little at his blunder.
James shook his head. "No, Lily and I want to stay in town."
"Yes, please, and we don't want anything huge. Potter Manor is beautiful but I was thinking of something more manageable, a three or four bedroom cottage with at least two bathrooms please," she said coldly.
Julius seemed to deflate a little. "Of course, Madam, I have a lovely cottage up the hill just a ways. This way," he said, leading them out of the house and flicking his wand to lock the door.
The group trudged up a small hill and came to rest in front of a lovely two story home. It was a pale beige color. The front was fenced in with a white picket fence and there was a small flower garden in the front. Julius waved them in. The house was spacious and well taken care of. There were three bedrooms upstairs and a study downstairs. The house was beautiful but it just didn't call to Lily. It wasn't exactly what they were looking for.
After walking all over town and looking at three or four different houses, Lily was exhausted. She hadn't found anything she liked and was sorely disappointed. As her and James were walking back towards the pub, James pulled her close. "Don't worry Lils. We'll just keep looking. There's no rush to find a house right now. If worst comes to worst, we'll rent a flat in town until we find a place of our own." He kissed the top of Lily's head. Lily just sighed.
When they reached the pub the other Marauders were haunting, Lily perked up as she heard the off key singing of Remus, Sirius and Peter.
While waking in the arms of distant waters
A new day finds me far away from home
And Limerick you're my lady
The one true love that I have ever known.
The one true love that I have ever known…
Lily giggled and pushed open the bar door. "I don't know a single lady that would put up with that kind of ruckus," she said, sitting at the bar next to Sirius.
"Lily!" he cried, putting an arm around her. "Jus the lady I was looking for. Bartender, a round of firewishky for the lady and her good genelman. Pud it on ma tab!" Sirius cried. Remus shook his head and Peter let out a loud hiccup and swayed on his bar stool. Lily laughed.
"Honestly Sirius, can't you at least keep yourself together in public? I plan on living in this town for a while." She grinned around at the empty pub. There was one elderly gentleman sitting at the bar, a few spaces down.
"Exacly," Sirius said, pointing a finger at the old man, as the bartender served another round. "You want to live here," Sirius swayed on his stool and stood up, walking towards the old man, "and this fine gentleman here, wans to sell his house." The old man took a sip of his drink and nodded his head once.
Lily looked at him skeptically. "We've looked at all the available houses in town."
The old man shook his head. "Not on market," he said, in a thick foreign accent. "Was wife's summer house," he said, gesturing with his arm. "Little cottage. East of de town."
Lily and James looked at one another and James shrugged. "Can you show it to us?" he asked.
"Yes, I take you two," he said, gesturing at Lily and James. "But not him, he will not be able to hold his liquor soon." The old man pointed at Sirius who just grinned.
Remus laughed and grabbed Sirius's arm. "I agree good sir," he said, a little less inebriated than Sirius. "I am going to take him home promptly and put him to bed." Remus turned on his heels, dragging Sirius behind him who was grinning like a kid at Christmas.
"Don't wait up, Wormy!" Sirius cried, tipping an invisible hat at the bar at large.
"I'm going to go take a walk," Peter said, moving for the door. "See you guys soon." Peter scuttled out into the afternoon light, very much alone.
~MM~
The old man moved surprisingly fast for someone his age. He lead Lily and James through town and down a side street that seemed to dead end at an empty field. He stood in front of the empty space and waved his wand, muttering in a language Lily didn't understand. "Protective wards, you see," he said, pointing at the empty space.
The air above the lawn shimmered as if heat was rising rapidly from the grounds and slowly a house started to materialize. It was a two story cottage, yellow with white trim around the edges. There was a dainty rose garden in the front yard and Lily could see a guest house poking out behind the side of the main house.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, as she followed the old man inside. The living room was spacious and clean. It was decorated in an older décor that Lily wouldn't have chosen but that flattered the room. The paint was a light, golden brown and the hardwood floors were in pristine condition. The fire place was large and grand, made of traditional red brick. She ran her hand along the mantle and was already imagine decorating it for Christmas.
"How many rooms did you say your house was?" she asked.
The old man held up three fingers. "Four. Three bedrooms and one study, downstairs," he said, pointing at a set of double doors off the living room. Lily pushed the door open to the study. It had a bay window at one end and a beautifully mahogany desk. The room was lined with built in bookshelves. There was also a mini fireplace in the corner. It was perfect.
The kitchen proved to be roomy with plenty of counter space. The cabinets were yellow, to match the paint outside and the counters were blue and white tile. The little house included a sitting room downstairs as well as a formal dining room. The back doors lead to a spacious porch. There was a fairly large vegetable patch and acres of open space. "Good for flying," the old man said, pointing off to the distance. "Muggle repellant charms, disillusioned. Ten acres total."
"Excellent," James said, imagining a new Quidditch pitch in his back yard.
The trio walked upstairs and Lily was taken aback at the size of the master bedroom and bath. It was huge with windows lining three of the walls. It probably took up a third of the upstairs. The bath included a shower, a garden tub and his and her sinks. It also had a balcony. The other two rooms were fairly smaller but also a decent size. There was one standard sized bathroom upstairs and a half bathroom downstairs.
Lily was in love.
"James, I want it," she finally said, quietly while her and James were alone checking out the pantry and laundry room.
"It's yours, then," he replied, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Let's go close the deal."
Lily squealed with delight as she and James went to discuss prices with the old man. As it happened, they didn't need to barter long. James accepted the first price the old man offered. "Nothing is too high for my lady's dream home," he said after making arrangements to pay the man next week. Lily practically fainted with excitement. "I can't wait to tell the boys, let's go home and I can tell your mum all about it!"
James laughed at Lily's exuberance. "I'm sure she's not home, Lils, she plays Cribbage with her friends this afternoon but I'm sure the other Marauders are just as excited to hear about your new house."
~MM~
As it turned out, Lily didn't have anyone to tell when she got back to the manor except for the house elves. When James and Lily went in search of Remus and Sirius, their door was locked and there was no answer when James knocked. He just shrugged his shoulders, looking perplexed. "Perhaps they're napping?" James asked.
Lily just shook her head and smiled. "I'm sure that's it James, where's Wormtail?"
"No idea. He said he was going for a walk."
"I guess he's not home yet," Lily said, her voice laced with worry.
"I'm sure he's just fine, dear. Let's go take a nap as well, I'm bushed."
Lily snorted. James looked even more confused.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing James, let's go cuddle up and rest before dinner."
Lily took his hand and led him towards their rooms.
"Why'd you snort when I said we should take a nap as well?"
Lily just looked at him, like he was missing something ridiculously obvious.
"I don't think they're napping, James, but we can follow their lead and go 'nap'," she said, making air quotes with her fingers.
"What do you mean they're not napping, what else would they be doing in there?" James said, looking at the door like it was the biggest mystery in the universe.
Lily just raised her eye brows and kissed James deeply.
A look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh, OH! Moony and Pads are," James didn't know how to finish that sentence. He was meshing his hands together trying to mime the word he was looking for.
Lily laughed. "Yes James, I thought that was obvious. They're together."
James just raised his eyebrows at the closed door and shrugged. "I'm glad, as long as they're happy."
Lily laughed again. "I am sure they are. Now, I want to go and 'nap' as well. Come on, you." Lily pulled James into her bedroom and closed the door behind them.