A/N: This story is a prequel/sequel to the story Tears of the Ages by Tan n' Tel.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all the things. I just write this stuff.

Part of the Year Long Scavenger Hunt on HPFC. (#5 of the 50 pointers) Write a monster length story (overall word count over 10,000) based around your OTP

Prologue

A black-haired twenty-year-old stepped out of the back room and closed the door softly behind him. He placed his hands on his front to smooth out his perfectly fitted black tux, stepping down the stairs, every step seemly confident, but the slight shake in his hands betrayed him.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, James?" Sirius asked quietly out of the side of his mouth.

Was he actually asking his best friend to second guess his marriage? What an idiotic git. Sirius knew James shouldn't have picked him to be the best man.

"Merlin, I hope so," he heard James mutter almost inaudibly.

Sirius smirked inwardly as a soft melody began to play from the east wing.

Chapter 1

Ruining the Rehearsal

Aurelia embraced a dozen Potters that she had supposedly known since infancy. She could not pick out a single face, save James' mother and father, that she could remember seeing before the rehearsal. She didn't mind really, because being almost pureblood, she was required to know far more people than the average witch. There were so few families left that could claim the title, which was the problem.

In actuality, only the Colton side of her family was purely pureblooded. Her mother's family was what some called 'diluted' blood, because her great-great-grandmother had married a Muggle and 'sullied' the reputation. Aurelia didn't give a rat's ass about the family reputation. It seemed to be dwindling as of late anyway after her mother had been killed and her father began drinking.

She was knocked from her thoughts as a sweet face caught her eye. The Evans' were a beautiful bunch, though there were not many of them. Lily's mother was pleased to spot the maid of honor before the rehearsal began. Pamela Evans was a strong-willed woman and, Aurelia knew from experience, an excellent chef. Besides decorating the reception area and planning the entire wedding with Euphemia Potter, mother of the groom, she had volunteered to serve several dishes at the rehearsal dinner, despite her daughter's stern refusal of the proposition.

"Lia, darling," Pamela said, lying a light hand on her shoulder. "Lily is waiting for you in the back room on the left. She wants to take a few pictures of the wedding party before we start."

"I'm not supposed to have changed, am I?" she said, her hands instinctively running down the front of her simple, light green empire waist dress. She felt under dressed, though she knew Lily was wearing almost the exact same thing, only in white.

"No, no, dear," said Pamela sweetly. "You look beautiful."

Aurelia had to endure wading through two extra aisle-lengths of Potter and Evans relatives before finally stepping out of the main hall and into the back of corridor. She was greeted by two flustered photographers and several girlish screeches. The female photographer, plainly not enjoying the difficulties she was stressing over, had grabbed her arm and placed her in between Lily and Emily.

"How're you doing, love?" she said to Lily and kissed her cheek with a reassuring smile.

Lily heaved a giant breath and her eyebrows danced nervously. "I could vomit butterflies, Lia."

The photographers held up their hands to signal they were ready to take the picture. All four women placed their hands behind each others' backs and smiled.

Aurelia spoke with Lily and tried to calm her nerves as best she could, telling her over and over that it was just a practice run.

She had only been in London for a manner of days. The only people she had seen before rehearsal day had been James, Lily and their immediate families, and of course all the girls that had come to the bachelorette party she had had to plan in four hours. Maid of Honor's duty, she was told. It had been one wild party, even though Lily had declined the invitation of male entertainment. Aurelia had tried to coax her into it by assuring her that James would have some form of that entertainment at his party, but this didn't go over well. That wasn't the first time she questioned her aptitude for the job and she was sure it wouldn't be the last, mainly due to other occupants of the wedding party.

Sirius aired out his white dress shirt by pulling at it from different angels, getting it off his skin. He had just started to feel the perspiration and he didn't want to be any more uncomfortable than he already was.

"Nervous?" James asked as he watched his best man continue to air himself.

"Shove off, git," he replied smartly, punching his friend in the shoulder. "It's bloody hot back here."

"So take off the shirt, it's not like anyone's around."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Bet you'd shove me out into the main hall all half-dressed just for the fun of it. Well, I've got a defense now. You humiliate me, you'll get what's coming to you at the reception, mate. My speech isn't written yet."

"Of course it isn't," said Remus a few steps behind them. "You've only had four months to come up with something."

"Lily's waving us over," Peter said, pointing in the direction they were headed. "Do you think they'll have us take pictures?"

"Damn the woman," James muttered.

Smirking, Sirius told him off with a, "You're the bloke that's going to marry her."

They continued their bee-line for the other half of the wedding party at their same slow pace. Lily became impatient just waiting for them, so she turned her back to the four men to speak with one of her bridesmaids.

The arrangements had been set since the couple had gotten engaged; two groomsmen and a best man, two bridesmaids and a maid of honor. It was difficult for Lily to choose between her two friends Frieda Derkson and Maria Vouldora, but when Maria's work required her to leave the country for a month, including the date of the wedding, it made the bride's job a bit easier.

It was all too obvious who would partner up with whom. Remus and Emily Perkins where a match and since they'd had a good breakup, they were what some would call compatible. Frieda was then left to Peter, since it was tradition to pair the best man with the maid of honor. Even with his pleas, Sirius could not convince them to break that tradition, and from what he had heard, neither could his reluctant partner.

James slid a hand onto Lily's shoulder and she spun around to place a kiss on his cheek. In spinning, she had stepped out of the way enough to reveal the bridesmaid she had been talking to, but it had not been just a bridesmaid.

"Remus!" Aurelia cried, smiling brightly as she enveloped him in a tight hug, catching him unawares. She did the same to Peter, but he was ready for this reaction and didn't stumble back as many foot lengths as his taller, skinnier friend. She then placed a kiss on James' cheek as Sirius spotted a tear run down her own. There was no one left but him and he really hadn't expected her to show him any sort of affection at all, but when she hugged him, he placed his arms around her to show he sought after a truce as well.

He had tried to suppress the temptations that had stirred when he saw her. He admired her form, since she had grown significantly in the last year. He thought the glitter on her eyelashes made her hazel eyes stand out even more than the small dress she wore. It only went down to mid-thigh, teasing the unlucky bastards who never had a chance, and he knew by the feel of her skin through the fabric that she was wearing nothing under it but a pair of knickers. He couldn't help noticing. He was male, after all. The least he could do was make an attempt not to gaze in approval at how much her chest had sized up.

It wasn't more than three seconds that they had held onto each other and Sirius already missed her warmth when she let go. They were all shuffled away to the back door of the manor where they were positioned by a photographer for a few pictures. When they heard an organ begin to play, they all headed for their positions.

Aurelia placed both hands on Lily's arms and her head on the bride's shoulder.

"You will be fine," she whispered into her ear. When she moved away to join the other bridesmaids in their line of procession, Lily grabbed Lia's arm.

"Are you sure?"

"Lily, this isn't N.E.W.T.-level Potions. What's the worst that could happen?" she asked with a quick smile before turning back around to face the front.

The rehearsal went as planned and everyone did exactly what they were required to do. The only thing that went terribly wrong was when the best man had to escort the maid of honor down the aisle. Sirius had made a comment that sparked a series of retaliatory remarks which led to a row that stopped the entire procession of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Remus had to retrace his steps and break the two apart since the row had ended in a physical altercation.

A few of those seated in the aisles were shocked by the scene and Lily and James were afterwards bombarded with questions as to what exactly they were thinking when they paired those two together.

Aurelia apologized twenty-eight times before Lily would even speak to her after the rehearsal had ended. She figured Sirius had just shrugged when James questioned him about it, but Aurelia would not confide in Lily what comment had started their argument.

Stepping into the nice little cottage they had rented for the rehearsal dinner, Aurelia was humiliated at all the scornful glances she received. She was placed next to Emily and Mr. Evans at the bride and groom's table. The food was delicious, but she could not savor it with the awful taste she still had in her mouth.

It was a nice dinner, except for all the louts who were thick enough to get drunk the night before the wedding. Thankfully, James hadn't placed a wine glass in front of Sirius' place settings for this very purpose. She saw the annoyed look he had on his face when he first realized this and her satisfaction was ripe. When he glanced in Aurelia's direction, she presented him with a genuinely smug look. This irritated him all the more.

Following dinner at the cottage, Lily gave her husband-to-be a quick peck on the cheek before retreating with her bridesmaids to the door. Once they were outside, they held hands and Apparated to Lily's parent's house in Spinner's End.

Aurelia opened the door, as Pamela had given her the key fearing Lily would be too absentminded tonight to remember where she'd placed it. The girls rushed into the house, pulling out their purses and reaching their arms to the shoulder into each bag to pull out their essentials and toiletries. Extendable Charms were undeniably useful when one was a woman. Aurelia accompanied Lily to her old childhood room, and Lily fell onto the bed, a small smile on her face.

"You'll be a married woman this time tomorrow," Aurelia said, smirking at the thought. Lily's expression immediately fell. Aurelia noticed it instantly. "What's wrong?"

Lily stared up at the ceiling, making figurates on her dress with her fingertips in a distracted sort of way. "Is this going to work?" she asked quietly.

It was apparent that she didn't want the other girls to hear her, so Aurelia closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed next to her best friend.

"Lil… you love each other, right?"

"Of course," Lily replied without hesitation, almost indignantly. She must have bit off her anger, though, because she suddenly looked timid.

Aurelia smiled. "Then of course this is going to work. I don't know of another man who could possibly love you more than James does."

That didn't seem to make Lily feel better. In fact, she looked despondent and a tear was running down her cheek.

"Lily," Aurelia said softly. "I know you know that I know that that would never have worked out."

"You and your cousin have worked it out," Lily said. "You were sorted into different houses and you still get along. Why won't he even be my friend anymore?"

Aurelia sighed. "This is different, luv. Severus adores you, and you want to be his friend. You're marrying his nemesis.

"I want to see what you see in him, I really do, but this isn't the time to think about these things. In fact, this is the single most inappropriate time to think about them, because it's the night before your wedding and you're crying because the guy who loves you more than the guy who's going to be in the suit at the altar tomorrow doesn't want to be your friend."

Lily sniffed, wiping the tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry, Lia."

"Don't apologize to me," said Aurelia, folding her arms across her chest. "You're going to have to do a lot of apologizing to James if you can't get over Severus."

That realization made Lily sit up from the bed. "Lia, you wouldn't…"

Aurelia unfolded her arms and used one of them to cuff Lily lightly on the arm. "Who do you take me for? Sirius?"

She chuckled at her own joke, but Lily obviously didn't think it was clever. "What did he say to you today that got you into a sparring match?"

"Nothing."

"Lia, you started hitting him with your shoe! If you did that because he didn't say anything to you, you're out of your mind."

"He said a lot of things, Lily. Just drop it."

Lily's soft smile turned into a grimace.

The rest of the night was spent talking about the honeymoon that would ensue after the wedding, but Aurelia wasn't really in the mood for chitchat. She was too occupied with thoughts about the man she loved, and how much she hated him.

James' parents were quite an old couple. They had gone to bed as soon as they had Apparated home from the rehearsal dinner. That left Sirius and James to their own devices, which never was a good idea. Remus and Peter had decided they didn't want a repeat bachelor party, so they were staying at their own places tonight.

Sirius fell over onto the couch in front of the fireplace in the main living room. James was right behind him, letting out a groan when he made contact with the cushions.

It wasn't as if the bachelor party hadn't been a fantastic success, Sirius thought lazily. Alcohol had been involved and there may have been entertainment of the female variety, specifically where Remus had—at one point—been wrapped in a pink feather boa. Despite all of the frivolity, his friends didn't seem to have that good of a time, undoubtedly because of the amount of alcohol they had consumed, which was—to be fair—their own damn faults. It wasn't like Sirius had shouted at them and sang show tunes really, really off-key until they gave in and drank more shots. No, he would never do that.

"You'll be off the market tomorrow, Prongs," said Sirius, hugging a decorative pillow to his chest.

"I'm already off the market, Padfoot."

"Yes, but now it'll be official. I won't be able to say, 'Prongs, look at that Muggle girl,' and whistle that way that makes Lily go red in the face. Oh, I'm going to miss that."

James rolled his eyes. "You like making girls furious until they're so upset their eyes blaze, do you? Just to see their reaction."

Sirius nodded, getting up from the couch, throwing the pillow at James' face—he missed—and heading toward the liquor cabinet. There was bound to be a bottle of something in there.

"And what about Lia's reaction? Did you like that she beat you with her shoe within an inch of your life?"

Sirius stopped, mid-stride, then continued on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Hardly an inch. More like a meter." He opened the cabinet and pulled out a fifth of Firewhiskey. Perfect.

"What did you say to her?"

Now if only he could get James to stop talking and start drinking. Sirius grabbed two brandy glasses with his other hand and walked back to the couch, placing the items on the coffee table.

"I said… things."

"What kind of things? What did you say first?"

It had started out civilly enough. Hi, how've you been? But then it got heated, like it always did.

"I asked…" Merlin's teeth, he was going to get it. Sirius closed his eyes and grimaced. "…what she would do if her dress suddenly disappeared tomorrow."

Nothing happened. Sirius opened on eyelid, but James was sitting there, holding his sides and laughing so hard he was making no noise at all. Sirius wondered if his best friend was even breathing.

"What is funny, may I ask?"

Finally, James let out one roaring laugh and then turned to Sirius. He said, "You're still in love with her."

"Piss off," said Sirius, simple but perfunctory. He opened the bottle of Firewhiskey and poured two glasses.

"You're defensive, eh?" James smiled wisely as a glass was shoved into his hand. "What do I need this for?"

Sirius shrugged as he downed his own glass. "It's for your own good?" he suggested.

James took a sip, making a nasty face. Firewhiskey wasn't for everyone. "Why're you drinking, then?"

His best friend gave him a withering look. "It's for your own good."