Chapter One – A Vow of Commitment
Chapter Summary – James and Lily's wedding
Author's Note: Hello, my lovely readers. This, as some of you may have noticed, is the prequel to my story Innocent Child of Evil, which, if you haven't yet, I suggest you read before reading this. Or, if you want to go in chronological order, you can read this first. It doesn't matter which you read first, but please read and review.
Big props to ProperT and crazy-emerald-blue, who were so loyal to read and review to Innocent Child of Evil. Guys, I hope you like this one just as much. And I hope that this story brings in more readers. Anyway, let's just get started.
The bride was beautiful, decked in white. Her long, dark red hair was pinned back into an elegant bun. The smile on her face had nearly the entire audience in tears.
"Do you, Lily Anna Evans," the preacher began, his large black eyes gleaming, "take James Randal Potter to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?"
An elegant gleam was in Lily's large green eyes as she said, "I do."
"And do you, James Randal Potter, take this woman, Lily Anna Evans, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, 'til death do you part?"
James Potter smiled at Lily. "I do," he said.
The preacher looked overwhelmed with happiness. "I now pronounce you man and wife," he said. "Now, please, kiss the bride."
The groom took his bride in his arms and kissed her deeply as the congregation erupted into applause.
Standing on one side of the bride, looking beautiful in a shimmering pink dress, was a young woman with golden hair. She had the same eyes as the bride, making it obvious that they were sisters. Though there was no comparison in their beauty. Lily was elegant and graceful, while her younger sister, Rose, had a beautifully awkward look, a result of the fact that she was only seventeen and was still maturing.
Rose was different from these people. She was not a witch, though she wished deeply that she was. Since the age of nine, she had been fascinated in her sister's life at Hogwarts, and she had managed to be nearly a part of the magical community. So many had accepted her into their lives, though many others would forever reject her for her muggle blood. It pained Rose to be so close to the world she wanted, close enough to touch it, but to know that she would never truly be a part of it.
Standing opposite her, on the groom's side, was a handsome young man with dark hair and eyes. His eyes, actually, were upon the young muggle of which we just spoke. He could rarely keep his eyes off of her. Yes, it was true. Sirius Black was, and had been, in love with Rose Evans for five years – since he was fourteen years old.
Sirius admired everything about the angel. She was beautiful, but not in the ways that most girls were. She was intelligent and funny and warm. She was compassionate and loving, and she was loyal. She didn't know it, but she was the reason Sirius had been kicked out at the age of sixteen. When his pure blood parents discovered his love for a muggle, they hadn't wasted a moment in chucking him out on his ass. He'd gone to live with James – the only one who knew the reason behind his moving out. He'd told the rest of them, including Rose, that it had been his decision to leave home.
Yes, that was the difficulty of it all. Rose had no idea of Sirius's love for her, and Sirius had no idea of how to tell her. He'd never had trouble with girls before – but then again, he'd never really cared about a girl before. They were all the same and he could easily get them to adore him, but Rose was different. She saw him, not as a good looking nineteen-year-old, but as a good friend and a shoulder to cry on. As far as he could tell, Rose would never know how he felt about her.
Slowly the congregation rose to it's feet and made their way to the wedding reception. Sirius and Rose followed the bride and groom into the next room, where the reception was to be held. The smell of cake and pies of every flavor overwhelmed their senses as the doors shut behind them. The music played loud and smooth, teasing their emotions.
With a surge of confidence, Sirius had the nerve – the daring to ask Rose to dance, but his courage was cut short as Remus came over, a pretty young woman on his arm. "Sirius, Rose," he said, loudly, "this is Andrea Nelson. She's a friend of Lily's."
"Hi," said the girl. She had straight, dirty blond hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her pure brown eyes shimmered warmly and tanned skin glistened. "It's nice to meet you. Remus has told me a lot about you, Sirius, and Lily never stops talking about you, Rose. I feel like I know you already."
"Thank you," Rose said, happily. "I do hope my sister doesn't say anything to awful about me." She laughed and flashed her white smile.
Remus grinned at Sirius and winked, making the dog laugh. "Nice one, Moony," he muttered, nudging his friend playfully. "She's a hot one."
"I'm standing right here."
Sirius glanced back in horror to find Andrea watching them. He was relieved to see the smile on her face, however. "Thank you, though, Sirius. I do appreciate that." She laughed turned to Remus.
"Uh . . . do you want to dance, Andrea?" he asked, tentatively.
"Sure."
The two walked out onto the dance floor, allowing Sirius to resume his awkwardness with Rose. He forced a smile as he turned to face her. He felt his words catch in his throat and decided not to ask her the same. Why was it that he always hesitated when he was around her?
"Want to dance, Sirius?" Rose asked, suddenly.
Sirius tried desperately to hide his startled emotions. "Sure," he said, then hated his answer. Isn't that exactly how Andrea had responded? "I mean, yeah . . . aren't I supposed to ask you that?"
"Well, I don't feel like waiting around," Rose said, sassily. "Come on." She took him by the hand and dragged him out onto the dance floor. She put her arms around his neck and he placed his around her waist.
Click.
The couple turned to see the ratty figure of Peter, camera in his fingers. "Gotcha," Wormtail crowed. He tucked the camera in his pocket and grinned. "Thanks for the picture, Padfoot!" With that, the little chubby man hurried away.
While Sirius was full of embarrassment, Rose couldn't help but laugh. "He is so much like a rat," she said. "Quiet and all. Well, I bet that's going to be a great picture."
Sirius smiled at this, whatever it meant. "So . . . How is Amos?" he asked, tentatively about the young woman's latest boyfriend.
Rose sighed. "I wouldn't know. We broke up."
Sirius couldn't hide his relief. "Well," he said, hesitantly, "He was no good for you anyway. Honestly, he may be a real pretty boy, but you could do better."
Rose smiled at him. "You're sweet," she said.
Then, sweeping across the dance floor, came the bride and groom. They stopped next to Rose and Sirius, both beaming. "Oy, Padfoot," said James, grinning, "Lovely partner you got there. Perhaps we should trade."
Lily shoved her new husband playfully. "You're funny," she said, sarcastically. She turned away from James and hugged Rose. "Thanks for coming, Rosie," she said.
"I wouldn't miss it, Lil," Rose muttered.
The two separated, smiled at each other, then went their separated ways with their respective dance partners.
There was a glow about Rose when she turned back to Sirius. "Things are good, aren't they?" she said, smiling.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Rose shook her head, he green eyes alight. "Things are just . . . good. Everyone is happy and bright. I mean, my sister just got married, Remus couldn't look happier with his date, and even though Amos and I are done, I can't help but feel happy. Things are good."
Sirius smiled. "Yeah," he said. "Things are good."
The question is, would they stay that way?
Author's Note: To
those Innocent Child of Evil readers who remember, I use song lyrics
at the end of all my chapters because of the music lover I am. Well,
that tradition will continue. This chapter's song is
"Anticipation" by Carly Simon, which I chose for a number of
reasons. First is that it is a beautiful love song, perfect for the
wedding.
Second is for Sirius and his love for Rose. Third is
for the line "These are the good old days." Okay. Enjoy.
We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway
And I wonder if I am really with you now
Or just chasing after some finer day
Anticipation
Anticipation is making me late
It's keeping me waiting
And I'll tell you how easy it is to be with you
How right your arms feel around me
Oh my, I rehearsed those words late last night
When I was thinking about how right tonight might be
Anticipation
Anticipation is making me late
It's keeping me waiting
And tomorrow we might not be together
I'm no prophet and I don't know nature's way
So I'll try to see into your eyes right now
And just stay right here because these are the good old days
These are the good old days
Stay right here because these are the good old days
These are the good old days
These are the good old days
These are the good old days
These are the good old days
Thanks for reading! I'll keep this updated. Thanks to Moonshard Kuronue who Riley was based on in Innocent Child of Evil and who helped me develop the character of Andrea and her story, which comes into play later. Thanks, Batty! Couldn't have done this without you . . . no I mean literally because eyou're the one posting these for me. I couldn't have done it without you. LOL. So, all of you who read this, thank my friend by reading her stories and reviewing. She is in need of reviews.