Chapter 10
The preparations for the wedding were going smoothly. Lily was faced with many days doing nothing but looking through colour swatches and fabric samples and flower arrangements. Every day it was "Do you like this colour better, Miss Lily? Or this one?" or "Would you like lilies for your wedding, dear?"
Suddenly the fact that she was really getting married fully sunk in. She was able to ignore it the past weeks, but now that she was so close, it was unavoidable.
She was getting married.
Strangely enough, she had already come to terms with her fate- and accepted it- but she could not deny that she had anxiety bubbling at the pit of her stomach.
"Nervous?"
She looked up to see James smiling down at her, his hands in his pocket.
"May I sit next to you?" he asked.
She nodded, not trusting her voice. They sat there in silence, Lily with her hand in her lap and her gaze on it.
"I am, you know," Lily blurted out.
"What?"
"Nervous. But not in a bad way," she added quickly. "I think it's wedding jitters."
"Really?" he asked. She giggled a little. "Yes."
"Me too."
There was silence once more.
"I suppose I'll see you?" she got up and smoothed her skirt.
"See you at the wedding," he replied. She gave him one last smile before turning to leave.
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The sun shone radiantly despite the cold winds blowing. The garden was already arranged, with flowers in shades of white and yellow decorating the area. Tables covered in white, gold and red linens were arranged carefully around the garden, each topped with an elaborate flower arrangement consisting of lilies and exotic orchids. A wrought-iron archway situated in front, decorated with flowers and vines. An elevated platform stood underneath it. A red carpet was lined from the platform to the back of the garden, where the bridal party would be emerging from.
It was all perfect, right down to the tiniest detail.
Lily Evans stood by the window of her room, overlooking the scene below her, dressed in her silk nightgown and fleece dressing-gown. She surveyed the place slowly, her mouth pressed in a tight line and her arms folded across her chest. She sighed and released her long red hair from the French braid it was pulled back in, combing through the tangles with her fingers. She pulled the curtains shut then walked back to the mahogany vanity table, looking at her reflection. She allowed herself a small smile before picking up a brush and running it through her hair.
She looked up when she heard a gentle knock on her door. She set the brush down on the table and went to answer it.
Once she turned the doorknob, however, the door was pulled back shut by the person on the other side.
"What the-?" she jerked away from it immediately.
"Lily?" she heard James's voice from the other side.
"James? What are you-?"
"I'm not allowed to see you, apparently. Superstition," he said, an apologetic tone in his voice.
"What is it?" she pressed her ear into the door. "Can we open it a bit, just so we can hear each other properly?"
"Okay," he complied. The door creaked open and she leaned closer to it.
"What is it?" she repeated.
"I just want to tell you… I want to ask you if you're really okay with this," he said. "I don't want you to regret it and be miserable."
"Oh, well, I could do worse," she smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
"And I really am sorry about…you know. I didn't mean any of it. I was just pressurized by what Baron Finch was saying and it all came out without me realizing it. I don't want you to think that I meant to hurt you, I never did. I never wanted to play with you, Lily, please believe me," he said carefully.
Even Lily could not deny the apology in his voice.
"I'm really sorry, Lily. I just want to clear that up before you walk down that aisle later."
The door closed and Lily was left alone, standing on her side as James' footsteps grew fainter.
The next two hours saw Lily being primped and polished like a show dog.
Her hair was pinned in an elaborate braided style at the base of her neck, with curly tendrils framing her face. Light make-up was applied to her face, her green eyes defined, and her cheeks dusted with a light rogue. She sat still while a team of stylists worked on her, her mind still processing what James told her that morning. She barely noticed when they told her to stand so that they could help her with her dress.
She felt the soft fabric engulf her and one of the helpers buttoning the back for her. Then they stood back and let her marvel at her reflection in the mirror.
She slowly lifted her eyes to look at herself, afraid that she would be unrecognizable. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of herself, still looking like Lily, just with a light blush on her cheeks, dressed in an ivory satin gown with a lace applique bodice, sleeves and embellishments and a long full skirt. Underneath was an underskirt made of English lace over silk tulle. Embroidered and lace flowers decorated the scalloped hemline and the long train behind her while crystal beads scatter across the skirt, despite her protest against them, but she decided it looked beautiful anyway. On her head was a long veil, decorated with lace flowers and interwoven with crystals. She couldn't stop the smile that crept into her face, glad that she didn't end up looking like a tart.
"What do you think, Miss Lily?"
Lily turned her back on the mirror and smiled warmly at her helpers. "Thank you so much, I love it," she said. "I feel absolutely beautiful."
"You're very welcome, Miss Lily," they said, obviously pleased. "And congratulations on your wedding. Lord Potter is a lucky man indeed."
Lily nodded at them as they curtseyed and left the room. She was finally alone with her thoughts.
She took one more careful look at the mirror and straightened her skirt. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
I'm ready.
Her father came to fetch her from her room, smiling proudly, after about ten minutes.
"You look so beautiful, Lily," he told her.
"Thanks, Daddy," she replied, smiling, sweeping her skirt to one side to let him stand beside her.
"Are you ready?"
Lily nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."
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Sirius Black looked around and whistled. "This is going to be one fine shindig."
"Easy, Padfoot," Remus chuckled. "Remember, James will kill you if you make a fool of yourself at his wedding."
"If Lily doesn't get to me first," Sirius said.
"Good point."
The two made their way around, Sirius nodding appreciatively at the decorations. "Looks like Mrs Evans outdone herself. It looks great."
"Well, thank you, boys."
The two turned to see Mrs Evans behind them, looking magnificent in her muted red gown. Sirius flashed a grin immediately.
"Pleasure to see you, Mrs Evans, you look well," he greeted.
"Why, thank you, Sirius, dear," Mrs Evans said, obviously charmed. "As do you. Don't you both look dashing?"
"Not too dashing, I hope," Sirius chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "James will kill us if we outshine him in his own wedding."
"Where's Lily?" asked Remus.
"Upstairs, with her father. The ceremony should be starting soon, why don't you go to James, Sirius? And Remus, if you would be so kind as to help me get everyone seated, I would be truly grateful."
Sirius nodded and headed towards the house, while Remus accompanied Mrs Evans and helped her usher the rest of the guests to their seats. Moments later, Lady Eleanor came and announced that the presiding wizard had arrived and that they were ready to begin.
James and Sirius arrived not too long after, James obviously a bundle of nerves and Sirius trying his hardest not to laugh at his friend's discomfort. James kept straightening his collar and Sirius, finally had enough, swatted his arm away.
"Look, Prongs. You're about to get married. Now you know what I feel about marriage-" he began, but James cut him off.
"That it's the death of all joy?"
Sirius looked surprised at his interruption, but nodded. "Yes, well… what was I about to say? Oh, yes, but Lily is not like all the other girls. She's neither shallow nor airheaded. She's got her own opinions, so if I were you, I would not try dominating her."
"I would never dream of dominating her!" James protested.
"Try to get along with her first. Lily is one of the kindest people you would ever meet, but she is also one of the most stubborn. It'll take time for her to warm up to you, but just be patient. I've been friends with her for years now, so trust me when I tell you. You have gotten yourself a fine bride."
"Thanks, mate," James said sincerely. "I hope I don't mess this up."
"Nah, you won't. And good luck on your wedding night," Sirius winked suggestively.
"Not funny, Padfoot. She and I have barely stepped away from animosity, and you expect me to take advantage of her that way?"
"I was just joking, Prongs!" Sirius raised his arms in mock surrender. "I know you wouldn't. And besides, she will kill you, no question about it."
"That's comforting."
"I was just stating facts. Now, let's go and get you married."
James squared his shoulders and followed Sirius out.
He noticed his mother speaking to the presiding wizard up front. She noticed him and smiled, beckoning him forward.
"Hubert, surely you remember my son James?" she said fondly as he drew nearer.
"Of course," Hubert replied. "How time flies! You were but this tall," he raised his hand just below his chest, "when I last saw you. What an auspicious celebration indeed!"
"We're starting soon, dear, why don't you go up there?" his mother pointed at the archway at the other end of the garden. James nodded and pulled Sirius, who was busy flirting with a group of girls nearby, with him.
"That was rude," Sirius remarked as the two of them crossed the crowd, James smiling politely at the people congratulating him on his marriage. "I was almost convinced them that I would be running for the post of Minister of Magic soon!"
"Believe me, mate, I just did you a favor," James said, rolling his eyes. He let go of Sirius' arm and started fussing over his necktie again.
"Leave it alone, James," Sirius said impatiently, pulling his friend's hand away. "You're going to wrinkle it."
"I can't help it," James retorted, sighing pathetically. "I'm nervous."
"Huh. James Potter, admitting he's nervous? I never thought I'd see the day."
Before James could even think of a smart retort, his mother came and told him that they were ready to start.
He waited with his parents in front of the aisle and anxiously craned his neck to see if Lily has arrived yet. The entourage made their way through the aisle- a little too slowly for his liking, he might add- and he was beginning to sweat in anticipation.
Finally, she emerged from the archway, on her father's hand, smiling radiantly. She was a vision- and James swore he had never seen a girl quite so beautiful.
She smiled at him when she met his eye and he grinned back. He didn't care if he looked like a fool. When she finally reached him, her father kissed her on the cheek and placed her hand in James's.
"You look beautiful," he told her sincerely. She blushed a little and smiled back. "You don't look too bad yourself."
She took his arm and handed her bouquet to her Maid-Of-Honor Anneliesse, a friend of hers from school. Hubert cleared his throat as Lily and James turned to face the front.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today to witness the union of two faithful souls…" he began. There was a solemn silence, except for the occasional sob coming from Mrs Evans and Lady Potter. Lily turned to look at them and chuckled lightly, eyeing the slightly smeared mascara on her mother's face. James was not even listening to Hubert. He was snapped back to reality when Hubert asked, "Is there anyone who thinks these two should not wed? Speak now or forever hold your peace."
There was a moment of tense silence as everyone waited for someone to speak. When no one did, Hubert nodded and signaled for the two to hold hands. He raised his wand above them.
"Do you, Lily Guinevere, take James Anthony as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do you part?"
"I do," Lily answered in a steady voice.
"And do you, James Anthony, take Lily Guinevere as your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do you part?"
"I do."
Hubert waved his wand and a shower of golden stars fell on the couple. "Then I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
James looked at Lily for approval as he lifted her veil off of her face, hesitant, but she leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth. The guests erupted in cheers and Sirius conjured confetti to fall onto them as Hubert announced, "May I present, for the first time, Lord and Lady James Potter!"
Lily and James smiled as they made their way back down the aisle, Lily's arm tucked into James' arm as they received several well-wishes and congratulations.
The reception followed. Lily and James danced their traditional first dance as a married couple, with James blushing scarlet and Lily giggling at the sound of Sirius's whistling and catcalls.
"Are you actually shy?" she teased as he spun her around.
"No," he denied quickly. "I was just…"
She laughed at his discomfort. A moment later, her face became serious. "Is something wrong?" James asked worriedly.
"I was thinking about what you said this morning," she answered. "I can't say that I've forgotten what happened between us, whether you intended to or not, but for the sake of this marriage, I'll try to. Let's…start anew, shall we?"
"I'd like that," James grinned.
She smiled at him, the same smile he remembered so much, the one that lit her features, making her seem like she was radiating light.
He promised himself that he would do anything to keep that smile on her face.
The dance ended and James kissed her hand. He led her to the table where their cake was, a two-tiered one with elaborate icing and edible pearls. They cut a slice from the bottom layer and took turns feeding each other a piece. Sirius opened a bottle of champagne and started offering it around, pausing a little too long on a group of Lily's friends, who giggled madly and started whispering rapidly when he was pulled away by Remus so that he can make his best man's speech.
He came up on the elevated platform, holding a champagne flute. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please," he said, grinning. "First of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming to this joyous occasion, especially those of you who knew I would be giving a speech. It's very touching that you still decided to come," the guests laughed. "And I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to the couple," he raised his glass in their direction and winked. "I have been friends with the groom since I was eleven. We hit it off right away. I just knew we were meant to be friends. He was-is- the best friend anyone would be lucky to have," James gave him a grateful smile. "We had plenty of great adventures together, and I look forward to many more."
He turned to Lily next. "The bride, on the other hand, I met when I tried to flirt with her and got slapped in the face in return," he grimaced at the memory while the guests laughed appreciatively. "But after getting to know her, she proved to be one of the most loyal, most wonderful friends anyone could have. She is a spitfire, but she is also one of the kindest people I have ever known. I just know she would be a wonderful wife, and it is an honor to be given the chance to speak at her wedding. To Lily and James, may your life be blessed with marital bliss. I wish you nothing but the best, and I will be here for you every step of the way. As long as I become your first-born's godfather," he raised his glass again. "To Lily and James."
"To Lily and James," the guests echoed. Sirius returned to his seat after a smile in Lily and James's direction.
Lily was whisked away by her mother to change out of her wedding gown. She reappeared not too long later, wearing a green chiffon dress, her hair taken out of its elaborate braids, falling in graceful curls down her back. When she came back, she found that James had also changed into a simple long-sleeved collared shirt and dark pants. He offered her his hand and she took it graciously. The two of them went around socializing with their guests, shaking hands and accepting their best wishes.
"A joyous occasion indeed," said a silky voice from behind.
"Lucius," growled James, his arm automatically moving to Lily's waist protectively.
"Congratulations on your marriage, Miss Evans," he said to Lily, whose glared at him. "It was such a pity that you passed up on our marriage proposal."
"I'm very certain that you have nothing to be gained from marrying me, Lord Malfoy," she replied, her voice laced with venom. "After all, I am sure you are not in love with me."
"And you are correct," he told her. "But I do not get refused, Miss Evans."
"And I am not afraid of you, Lord Malfoy."
"Such fire," he said, his eyes glinting maliciously.
"Lucius?"
Another person joined them. Narcissa Black eyed Lily distastefully, her platinum blond hair shining in the sunlight.
"Oh," she said. "I almost forgot. Congratulations on your marriage."
"Thank you," Lily replied, a falsely sweet smile on her face.
"I don't believe you've met my fiancée? This is Lady Narcissa Black," Lucius said, smirking.
"I don't believe we have," Lily answered. "But I have heard of her plenty of times from Sirius."
"But I have not heard much of you, Miss Evans," Narcissa countered. Her eyes fell on Lily's wedding band. "Or should I say Lady Potter now?"
James cleared his throat. "We should be going. We have plenty of other guests to greet," he took Lily's hand. "Lily?"
"Of course," she answered. With a final nod at Lucius and Narcissa, the two left.
"I don't like the way he looked at you," James whispered as soon as they were out of earshot.
"I don't either," Lily admitted. "He looked like he was planning something sinister."
"I won't let him get anywhere near you, Lily, don't worry."
"I'm not," she said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously," she added when he looked disbelieving.
They greeted a few more people, including James's friends from Hogwarts. Lily took an instant liking to the wife of James's friend Frank, a petite woman named Alice, and had already made plans to join her for tea after she returned from her honeymoon. She also met Fabian and Gideon Prewett, a pair of twins who was a year above James, Minerva McGonagall, James' Head of House and Marlene McKinnon, James's cousin. Marlene had just left when they were greeted by none other than Albus Dumbledore.
"Congratulations on your marriage, James," he said, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked at Lily. "She is quite a fine young woman, isn't she?"
"She is," James agreed. "Thank you for coming, sir, I am sure you have plenty of things to do."
"Nonsense," he replied cordially. "A wedding is a wonderful event. We need more happiness in the world, you know."
"I agree."
"I doubt that is all you want to tell us, sir," Lily said. Dumbledore chuckled. "No, it is not, my dear," he said. "I have something else to say, something of grave importance, I might add."
"What is it?" James asked.
"I want to offer the two of you to join the Order of the Phoenix."
"The what?" Lily looked at James for confirmation but he looked just as confused as she was.
"The Order of the Phoenix is an underground resistance," Dumbledore explained, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "It is a resistance to fight Lord Voldemort."
"He's more powerful than what the Ministry reports, isn't he?" Lily said quietly.
"Yes," Dumbledore affirmed. "It is completely voluntary, of course. I do not wish to force you to gamble your life on the battlefield. I was just wondering if you are interested to."
"Of course I am!" James proclaimed without hesitation.
Lily looked at him. "I-I don't know," she said. "The whole reason my parents married me off was to keep me away from him. I don't know if I should- I mean, it would be a waste, wouldn't it?"
James looked at her incredulously. "Lily, no one is forcing you to join," Dumbledore assured her. "Don't worry about it. I understand your concerns. And I know how worried your parents are about you."
Lily nodded mutely, staring at her shoes. James looked back at Dumbledore determinedly.
"I will see you when I get back, James."
Dumbledore left. James stared after him, his face unreadable.
"You probably think I'm a coward."
Lily's voice came out as a whisper. "You probably think I'm a coward," she repeated. "I know it's the right thing to do, but I can't. Not now, when my parents think that I'm safe."
"I understand," James told her.
Lily was not sure why there was a nagging feeling in her gut, but she did not have the time to dwell on it. They were soon told that they would be leaving for their honeymoon. They will be spending it on the Potters' cottage at a small village called Godric's Hollow.
But before that, they had to take part in the customary tossing of the bouquet and garter.
All the unmarried women gathered behind Lily, most of them giggling. Lily smiled at them before she spun around and threw her bouquet for them to catch. However, it landed on the lap of an unsuspecting Minerva McGonagall, who almost spat out her wine in surprise.
James, Sirius and Remus guffawed, clutching their middles. James then took the garter from Lily's thigh and winked before throwing it straight to Sirius' face. McGonagall gave him a stern glare before he backed off and offered it instead to Marlene.
Lily and James were to travel to Godric's Hollow via Floo Network, so the guest surrounded the fireplace as they waved the couple good-bye.
Lily and James went to hug their parents one more time.
"I'll see you soon," Lily said to her parents. "I love you both."
"We love you too, dear," Mrs Evans sniffled. "My little girl's married!"
"Not too fast on the grandchildren, honey, we aren't expecting them yet," her father teased her.
"No problem, Daddy," she said, giving him a mock salute.
"Go on," Mrs Evans said, giving her daughter a watery smile. "Go and enjoy yourself."
Lily nodded. She made her way to where James stood with his parents and his friends around him.
"Take care of yourselves," Lady Eleanor said. "James, take care of Lily. Lily, keep him out of trouble won't you, dear?"
"Mum!" James protested. "I am not child anymore!"
"Oh, I was just saying," Lady Eleanor said with grin. "But do enjoy yourselves."
"Take care of her, mate," Remus said.
"More like take care of him, Lily," Sirius laughed. "We'll be here when you get back."
"Thanks," the couple said in unison.
Then it was time to go. Lily took James's hand and the two of them stepped into the emerald flames. With a final nod and wave to their guests, they were gone.
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Okay, that was that. I sure hope you liked it. Maybe consider this the end of Part 1?
I'm so sorry this took too long. I had a ton of projects to go through and I've taken to writing bits and pieces of it whenever I can. I also had exams, which is so not cool since I had to study and do projects all throughout my school break.
On another note, I will be (unfortunately) going on an indefinite hiatus. I would really love to sit down and just work on this story all day instead of going to school, but I need to bump my GPA up if I want a shot at the University I want to get into. And to do that, I have to put all my focus on my studies for a while. My lecturers LOVE dumping tons of work on us, even on term breaks (blame the education system. Here they believe that breaks are for catching up on work.).It's RIDICULOUS!
There's also another thing. I got a review that told me that I wrote the first few chapters were better written than the later ones, and I noticed she/he was right. I was on fire when I started, but now, after everything, I am just so tired from writing for school and couldn't get the same energy into creative writing as I used to. I'm having doubts about my own ability. My confidence has been really tested many times the past year, I've had harsh criticism on my writing from lecturers, and I just feel my resolve crumble. I know I want to finish this, but when is the question. I want to re-evaluate my writing style and see if I can improve, even bit by bit. I just don't feel as confident in my writing ability as I used to. I'm probably going to lay off (and writing stories) for a while, because I don't want to write it if it's going to be half-hearted.
Still, I love you guys, and thank you for being here until now.
P.S: The sketch for Lily's dress can be found on my profile... I think. I put it up on image manager. Forgive me for the sucky drawing, this was done months ago, when I was just re-learning how to draw. I might re-draw this, however...
P.P.S: I made a tumblr for fanfiction! You can submit me questions or requests, and I will be putting up tidbits, extras, notes, drawings, etc! URL in my profile!