A Bumpy Road to the Altar
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. The rest belongs to the genius, J.K. Rowling.
Note: Thank you so much to the ten people who reviewed, and to everyone else who read this story!
Now, without further ado, I give you, "A Bumpy Road to the Altar"……….
Chapter Two
New and Old Faces
"June 25th!" both families exclaimed in utmost shock when the couple told them the date wherein they wanted to be married. Everyone was assembled in the study, all having identical looks of surprise written all over their features.
"Yes," Lily said calmly, looking up at her fiancé before facing everyone once more. "We want to get married on June 25th. It's a special date for us; that was when we met again after three years".
Everyone was in a flurry at once, especially the two mothers. "June," Sarah Evans sputtered, "but-but that gives us only three months!"
"There is a lot to be done, James, Lily," Margaret Potter added, her voice a bit calmer than Mrs. Evans. "Especially since you decided on having a big, Muggle-style wedding".
"Exactly," James replied. "Which is why we've also decided to have a wizarding wedding planner for it. Preparations will go faster with magic, everything will be done in three months, we're sure of it".
"Besides, mum," Lily looked at her parents with a teasing smile, her emerald eyes glinting, "If I recall correctly, you told me that you and dad got engaged and married in Las Vegas in a span of only one day. That really didn't take so much preparation, did it?"
Sarah flushed at the memory, her expression torn between happiness and exasperation as she defended her case. "Well yes, but if I remember, I also told you that, after we came back to England we had a proper ceremony that took six months to plan!"
The moment Sirius heard the bit about Mr. and Mrs. Evans getting married in Las Vegas, he turned around to hide his smile. No one else in the room apart from him knew that he and Chelsea had gone to Las Vegas around a year ago and had almost gotten married there, if not only for the fact that they had been too tired to go to the church and he didn't ask her properly and romantically, since he had proposed to her under the influence of alcohol. Too tired, and too scared of rejection, he never asked her to marry him again, although now he always carried a small red velvet box with him wherever he went. Just in case.
"Mum," Lily rolled her eyes. "The point is, we are confident that we'll be able to plan everything in time. Besides, we will hire a wedding planner, although I—I mean, we, will still be heading everything. There is absolutely nothing to worry about".
All this time that Lily had been talking, James had been thinking of someone he had known long ago, when they were still at Hogwarts. He and the person, a girl, had gotten along quite well ever since they had been children, their parents being friends and all. They had even been a couple when he had been assigned in France, and from what he had heard in the news, she was now a very successful wizarding wedding planner. At that moment, he knew just who to hire for their wedding.
"I know the perfect person to hire as our wedding planner," James suddenly said, bringing all conversation to a halt. Lily stared at him.
"Really?" she asked him, looking surprised that he knew someone with that kind of profession.
"Yeah," he nodded. "She was at Hogwarts with us, but I don't want to tell you who she is yet, I want it to be a surprise. She's very famous, though. Let me take care of everything".
Lily looked dubious, but said nevertheless, "Alright. I trust you, but she better be good at what she does," she added as an afterthought.
"Only the best," James replied. "I'll owl her tomorrow and once she replies, we'll get started, okay?" Lily nodded, but said nothing, still a bit disconcerted by the fact that her fiancé was the one who did the first step in planning the wedding. Wasn't it usually the bride who was so involved?
Yet she didn't voice out her thoughts. She simply smiled as she joined the others in animated conversation about her upcoming nuptials and about everything else in general.
..------..
It only took three days for the reply to come. The moment James received the letter and read it, smiling when he read that she had accepted, he went directly to the Criminal Law Department. As always, Dianne, who was now Lily's secretary, was there, organizing something, but when she saw him, she greeted, "Hello Mr. Potter. Will you be seeing Ms. Evans today?"
"Yes, Dianne, it's about our wedding," he hurriedly explained, looking excited.
The secretary smiled and replied, "Well then, go right inside. She's not busy today; I expect that she's just sitting around her office as of now". James said his thanks before walking to Lily's office.
The door was slightly ajar, so James went inside without bothering to knock. "Hey," he greeted as he stepped fully inside to find Lily lounging in her chair, looking deeply at something James couldn't see. Her brow was furrowed in concentration but she looked up the moment she saw her fiancé enter the room.
"Morning James," she said, closing whatever she was reading and placing it on the table as she walked over to him. "What's up?"
"It's all set!" he said, looking relieved. "The wedding planner I hired accepted the job; we can get started this 9 am, Saturday, and she's suggesting that we draw up a guest list already and who's going to be part of the entourage so that we can get started on the invitations right away".
"All done, at least, on my part," she said, walking to her table and taking a rolled piece of parchment. "I didn't have anything to do last night, so I decided to write down the people I'm going to invite". She handed them the list and he unrolled it to see who Lily planned on inviting.
Nodding approvingly, although he didn't know who some of the people whose names were on the list( he presumed them to be her aunts and uncles), he finished and gave the paper back to Lily. Remembering something suddenly, he said, frowning slightly, "I noticed that your sister wasn't on the list".
Lily's smile turned into a frown as she sighed, sitting next to him. "I didn't bother. Mum and Dad told my darling sister about our wedding, and that as my sister she had to come, but she said, and I quote, 'She would rather get eaten alive than have anything to do with us freaks'". James saw that she looked quite downcast, and his dislike for Petunia Evans- Dursley deepened considerably.
He lightened the mood by saying, "Are you excited about this Saturday?"
Lily smiled and said, "Yes, of course I am. I can't wait to start planning". Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh my goodness, I forgot to tell you. My favorite cousin Katharine is coming this Saturday; she's going to be one of the bridesmaids, although I haven't gotten around to telling her yet. She's flying in from Greece because of work, and she'll be going home by Wednesday, but once I tell her, I'm sure that she'll definitely be here for the wedding".
"Oh," James said. "Do you have to pick her up from the airport?"
"Well……" Lily thought before replying, "That was the original idea, but her plane doesn't arrive until 11. Mum and dad cant, since they have to visit a former officemate who's in the hospital, and we need to be at the wedding planner's by 9".
This was a problem, since her cousin didn't really know her way around England, and though she knew that Lily was a witch, the wedding planner's office was in the wizarding world. There was no way that she could get there by herself. It would be very inconveinent for Lily to keep on travelling from the wizarding world to the muggle world then back if she came at 9 am.
James finally said, "Why don't you get her at the airport, bring her to the hotel, then you meet us at the wedding planners as soon as you can? I can go there by nine so we can get a head start of the guest list".
"You'd do that?" Lily said, looking very hopeful and happy. "Thank you so much!" she went and gave him a quick kiss before adding, "What did I do to deserve someone like you?"
"I honestly don't know," James said teasingly, and Lily smiled. She was glad, after all, that James seemed involved in their wedding. At least she wouldn't have to plan everything.
"By the way, won't you tell me who this mysterious wedding planner of yours is?" she asked him awhile later.
"Nope," James replied, taking her hand in his. "I'd like it to be a surprise, but I'm sure that you will appreciate it". Lily rolled her eyes and frowned at all his secrecy, but said nothing.
Minutes later the couple stood up. "I have to go. I'll see you later, okay?" James said. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before he went away, leaving Lily to her thoughts.
She was happy, yet there was a strange feeling lingering over her. She was grateful that James seemed really willing to help in their wedding; goodness knew that she knew that most men would not want to help with all the frilly preparations and whatnot. Yet somehow, the thought that James was so well-connected, that he was so willing to be involved, made her feel a bit insecure. After all, James was part of a prominently wealthy family, whereas she had come from a normal, suburban one. Could she cope with the press and every other thing that being a Potter entailed?
And there was another thing. Voldemort was getting more powerful by the day, and he had a special penchant for killing Muggleborns. She, being part of the Order, was an ideal target. Was she endangering James by marrying him?
The moment these thoughts entered her head, she berated herself for being so stupid. "Come on, Lily," she thought to herself. "Don't be ridiculous. James wouldn't have asked you to marry him if he weren't prepared to take on everything, and you wouldn't have said yes if you weren't prepared to take the risk. You're just getting nervous about getting married, nothing abnormal about that".
She glanced at her engagement ring again, and a faint smile graced her lips. Yes, she was being ridiculous. They loved each other, and had promised that they would face everything together, and she was going to stick to that no matter what. She was just getting a bit nervous at the prospect of being married, that's all. That was nothing strange.
Right?
..------..
Lily was getting grumpy.
She had been waiting in the noisy, crowded Heathrow airport for over an hour already. It had been announced that her cousin's flight had been delayed by thirty minutes, and she was anxious to get to the wedding agency to help start plan the wedding. Lily was wondering as to what progress James was having with the mysterious wedding planner.
Sitting in the navy blue chairs of the airport, with nothing to do, she was getting impatient. She had not ridden a plane in a long time, seeing as she lived in the wizarding world now, and she had forgotten that a trip from Greece to England took a very, very long time. Sighing, she contented herself with watching a pair of excited twin boys with black hair was circling around who looked to be their mother, laughing and running happily.
She smiled, amused at their antics. They are like a miniature Sirius and James, she thought, rolling her eyes. The moment that entered her mind, she sighed again and wondered how James was holding up. She brought her hand to eye-level and stared once more at her ring, swaying her hand as she watched the sun catch the diamond, causing it to glitter brightly.
Finally, a voice on speaker announced, "British Airways 25(I made this up, I don't know how they call their planes there) from the country of Greece has just arrived. Passengers will be out shortly, and everyone waiting is advised to wait near the gate".
Sighing in relief, Lily stood up and made her way towards the gate, where she stood for a few more minutes, waiting. Suddenly, she heard an excited voice calling out her name.
"Lily! Lily!"
She turned around to see a tall, beautiful woman with long, straight strawberry blonde hair who was dragging a trolley across the smooth marble floor waving frantically at her. Lily smiled as she walked over to her cousin. Once she reached there, the two hugged.
"Oh my god, Lily, it's great to see you again!" Katharine Harper squealed excitedly as she let go of her. Lily helped her with her bag and they began walking towards the exit. Lily hailed a cab and, once the two women had settled in the backseat and the cab had taken off for the Russell Hotel, they began to talk.
"Kat," Lily told her in a low, earnest tone. "I have something important to tell you". Katharine opened her carry-on bag and took out a bottle of water.
"What is it?" she asked, as she opened the bottle.
"I'm getting married this June 25th and I want you to be one of my bridesmaids," Lily said, the excitement still evident in her tone.
Katharine's eyes widened. "What?" she said, looking completely in shock. Once it washed over her, she smiled as she said happily, "Wow, Lily, that's great, I'd love to! Who are you marrying by the way?" her voice dropped into a low whisper. "Is he a wizard?"
Lily nodded as Katharine took a drink of water. "Yeah, actually. It was such a crazy romance, to tell you the truth. And I'm sure that you'll be really surprised when you find out who he is".
"Just tell me, already Lily, you're killing me with suspense here!" Katharine said, getting impatient as she took another drink.
"I'm marrying……James Potter," Lily finally let out.
Katharine chocked on her water.
"Kat? Are you okay?" Lily said worriedly upon seeing her cousin's reaction. Katharine had strangely gone pale, and she was breathing slowly.
"James Potter……." Katharine whispered, her eyes suddenly shining at the very utterance of his name. She turned to her cousin, however, with a small smile and said, "Sorry Lils. It's just that….didn't you use to hate him? What happened?"
Lily nodded understandingly as she proceeded to tell Katharine about what had happened the past year, oblivious to a look that was forming on her cousin's face.
The cab finally stopped in front of the Russell Hotel, and after paying, they all went out and entered the house. Lily followed Katharine to the lobby, where she checked in, and once Kat's luggage had been taken up to her room by the bellhop, the two cousins took the elevator to her room.
Once they arrived in front of a door that was marked 3L. Katharine unlocked it and the two entered the room. It was nice; simple elegance masked the room, with cream tones and heavy draperies. Her luggage had already been brought up.
"Hey Kat," Lily said as her cousin stepped onto the bathroom to freshen herself up. Once Katharine went outside wearing a new set of clothes, she continued, "How about you come with me to the wedding planners? I was supposed to go there at nine, but I had to fetch you. Besides, you have a great flair for events; I'm sure that you could help, and I'd like for you to meet my fiancé".
Katharine looked unsure and seemed to have an internal battle with herself. "Um, I'm not sure, I don't really want to intrude".
"Come on, please," Lily pleaded, giving her a pitying look that always worked with everyone who saw it.
Katharine rolled her eyes but said, "Alright then. Is it in the wizarding world?" Lily nodded and replied, "Yeah. We'll be apparating there. Here, take my hand". Katharine unsurely took Lily's hand, and with a loud POP, the two were gone.
..------..
They had arrived at the lobby of a very stylish, posh room decorated in light tones. There was a sign overhead that said, "Tying the Knot Wedding Agency". Lily and Katharine approached the receptionist and Lily said, "Excuse me, I'm Lily Evans, my fiancé James Potter is probably inside".
The receptionist nodded. "Ah yes, Ms. Evans, they've been expecting you. Your fiancé is in the main room, and Ms. Heahtridge will join you in a moment, she just had to make some calls". She gestured to the main doors, and after nodding her thanks, Lily turn into the direction of the door.
"Heathridge, eh? No…..it can't be……." Lily thought as she and Katharine entered the main room. James was sitting on a chair, writing some things down. Smiling, she made her way over to him. Katharine hung back.
"Lily! Finally!" James said, smiling as he stood up to greet her. He gave her a quick kiss before he took her hand. "We've been waiting for you. The guest list is basically finished, but she hasn't really looked at it yet. I just need you to look at it before running it over to her".
Lily nodded and said, "Hey wait. I want to introduce you to someone". She turned around and beckoned Katharine to come forward. "James, this is my favorite cousin, Katharine Harper. Kat, this is James Potter, my fiancé".
Katharine and James looked at each other, and immediately their expressions changed. They smiled at each other as James extended his hand, quite stiffly, I might add, and said, "Hi, Katharine. Pleased to meet you".
"Same. Hello, James," Katharine said, taking his hand and shaking it, her voice hardening when she said his name. They quickly withdrew their hands, and turned away from each other. This did not go unnoticed by Lily, yet she kept quiet.
Before any of them could say anything to lessen the tension in the air, they heard the sound of heels clicking across the floor. James visibly brightened and said, "Ah, here she comes! Lily, I would like to introduce to you our wedding planner, a world-renowned planner who made her success in France, Ms. Melissa Nichole Heathridge".
Lily stared at him, dumbfounded, as a tall, slender, beautifulwoman dressed stylishly, her shining long blonde hair cascading down her back entered, her posture refined .
"James!" Melissa cried, happily. She caught sight of the two women, and immediately went to their direction, but for some reason, she went to Katharine's side. "So, is this the lucky woman you're going to marry? You wanted to surprise me, right?"
Katharine flushed in embarrassment, as did James. But Lily's eyes sparked with utmost irritation as she stepped forward and turned to Melissa and said, "Actually, that's my cousin. I'm James's fiancée, I'm sure you remember me. Lily Evans?"
Melissa stared at her, in shock, before she turned to James and laughing slightly. "Your marrying Lily Evans?" she said, her tone disbelieving. "I thought you weren't serious about her! How did this happen?"
Lily's eyes blazed, and a glare was slowly settling on her features. "Excuse me, Melissa," she said icily. "But I don't understand why it's so hard for you to believe that James chose me to marry him. He was quite taken with me when we were at school, wasn't he?"
"Well, of course, Lily, but I just don't get it," Melissa said, looking quite in earnest. "I mean, why would someone like James go for someone like you? You aren't in the least bit alike!"
"Okay, that's it!" Lily yelled. "James!" she barked. "Can we talk, in private?" Without waiting for an answer, she dragged him off to the most secluded section of the room, leaving Melissa and Katharine to talk.
"You hired Melissa Heathridge as our wedding planner?" she nearly exploded, her voice a furious whisper. James looked quite disconcerted.
"Yeah, what's the problem, honey?"
"Have you forgotten, James!" she snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "She is one of my enemies! She may be a Gyriffindor, but she also had a hand in making a part of my life at Hogwarts miserable, insulting me about my sense of style, about my intelligence whenever she had the chance! How could you hire someone I've been enemies with for the most important event our lives! She might ruin this just to spite me!"
James looked genuinely apologetic as realization dawned on him. "Oh shit," he muttered. Turning to his fiancé, she said, "Damn, Lils, I'm sorry, I completely forgot that you hated each other. Frankly, I didn't really know. I was under the impression that the only people you hated at Hogwarts were the Slytherins and me," he said, bemused.
"James, look, please, I want another wedding planner. I don't care if she's not famous, just please, get someone else aside from Melissa Heathridge. I can't stand working with her, I am begging you, please," Lily pleaded quietly with him.
James sighed and said, "Sorry Lily, but we've already paid for her services. We have to go through with it, besides; it'll be a huge insult if we don't. Look, why don't you just try to at least put years of hatred behind you, work together professionally? She's nice, once you get to know her well. I'm really sorry, but I promise, everything will be okay. Forgive me?"
Lily gave a long-suffering sigh and said, "Okay, I'll try. But if she keeps up that prima donna attitude and my wedding suddenly gets sabotaged, I am out of here".
James smiled, relieved. "Okay, good. Come on, let's get started, okay?"
Lily smiled, but before they could leave, Lily said, "Wait, James. What is it with you and Kat? I mean, you looked pretty uncomfortable meeting her".
James shifted but said, his expression never changing, "It's nothing. I wasn't really expecting you to bring her, I was just a bit surprised, that's all".
"I guess," Lily said, frowning a bit. "And Kat's not really keen on meeting new people all of a sudden, I sort of understand her stiffness. But don't worry, when she gets to know you better, she'll warm up to you".
"Hmm," was all James said, frowning. He removed that expression from his face, however, took Lily's arm and said, "Come on, let's start. We don't want the whole day wasted".
Lily nodded as the couple made her way back to the two ladies, who were now seated. "Is everything alright?" Melissa asked the two sweetly as she placed a folder on the table.
"Yes, we've settled everything already. Now let's really get started!" James said cheerfully, trying to release some of the tension in the room. Melissa nodded.
"Alright. First, let's start with the invitations. You'd need to choose a style among these that I'm going to lay out". Melissa said.
James was turning his head, until his gaze accidentally landed on Katharine. She saw this, and the two looked away right away, Katharine flushing a bit, James's eyes narrowing. Meanwhile, Melissa was busy showing the invitation styles to Lily.
Lily was looking at them quietly, not really finding one that she liked. She looked up, and met the eyes of Melissa Heathridge. They shared the briefest, most unobvious of glares before Lily turned once more to another set that the wedding planner had laid out.
Lily sighed. This was going to be a long day.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0—0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Poor Lily. She has an old enemy as a wedding planner and a cousin and a fiancé who seem to be uncomfortable in each other's presence. What else could go wrong?
Well, you know what to do. I hope you like this chapter, please read and review, everyone!