DISCLAIMER: I don't own James Potter, stag dos, weddings, or future important conversations. I do, however, own Libby Fletcher. :)

When James Met Libby.

James Sirius Potter has no idea why he's telling the story of how he fell in love. He's not even romantic! Falling in love went against everything he believed in … but it happened. And he invites you to listen if you dare. :James/OC recommended reading with GIR and CGIR NextGen:

Chapter 24: When James attended a wedding.

This is it.

The big one!

The one we've all be waiting foooooor–!

"James," Rose cut in.

Ah, right. Sorry.

I suppose I'll just get right into it. This is the story of my little brother freaking out and getting totally wasted on the most important day of his life. This is the story of how Scorpius apparently got punched up at a night club (how I missed that is anyone's guess). This is the story about how my cousin, Rose, managed to get things right and end up with her ex again after everything that had happened between them.

This is the story of Al Potter and Bea Bowmen's wedding!

(2029)

"You wanna hear something that'll quite possibly make you want to throw up?!" Libby shouted the second she burst through the front door.

"Can it wait until I've at least finished eating?" I pointed out, a sandwich halfway to my mouth with one hand, while in the other I swept my wand, causing what few possessions I didn't already have over here to be banished to their new living places. For some reason, I thought moving into a new flat was going to take a while, but it had ended up being surprisingly easy! I guess that's what happens when you actually go back to your old flat to pack, and realise that the place is practically empty. Oh, and that Bobby the carpet mould had gone on a rampage.

(Seriously, how the real estate agency will get anyone to rent that flat again is a mystery! Libby said that I was damn lucky to even get at least some of my bond back).

"Fair enough," she answered, moving through the kitchen towards me as she wiped a hand across her flushed forehead. Instead of kissing me hello like she usually did, she instead threw her bag to the floor and sat down right there on the linoleum.

"Uh, don't want to be a downer, but the kitchen table is right there," I pointed out between bites.

"Hot air rises," Libby said, hands braced on her knees as she huffily blew her fringe out of her eyes. "It's cooler down here."

"Oh, no!" I cried, shoving my wand in my pocket as my last coffee mug flew to join Libby's in the cupboard. "Not you, too!"

"Come again?"

"I went over to see Rose and Bea this morning and they damn near scarred me for life by lounging on the kitchen floor in their underwear!" I grumbled. Honestly! Who the hell does that? I mean, sure, it was kind of abnormally hot today (like seriously, this is London! It doesn't GET hot, here!) but if you're going to strip down, at least make sure you're in private! It's like those girls have no standards, whatsoever.

"Oh god," Libby almost laughed from her position on the floor. "Please tell me you caught a bit of boob? 'cause that shit would be hilarious."

"Libby, that's my cousin!"

"Ah, it's not like you're related to Bea, are you?" Libby said.

"She will be in two days," I pointed out.

Libby just grinned. "Aw, c'mon," she told me. "Y'know I'm teasing. Besides, I haven't even gotten to my news, yet! You finished eating?"

"I have," I said, taking my last swallow, before joining her on the kitchen floor. "Though I have to admit, I'm a bit worried about how long it'll stay down."

"If it decides to make a reappearance, aim that way," Libby said, pointing behind me. I crossed my legs, sitting in front of her so our knees touched. It was far too hot to do anything more, but it certainly did feel strange not having felt her skin at all since she'd come home. "Anyway! You'll never guess what: Rose nearly kissed Scorpius!"

"Seriously?" I gaped.

"I know, right!" Libby cried with glee. "It was earlier today and she's totally still in love with him!"

"Well, we already knew that," I snorted.

"No, I mean, she told me," Libby said. "She actually said that she loved him and that she's going crazy trying to sort it out!"

"No, wait, hang on," I held up a hand. "I thought Scorpius was still going out with that Sophie chick?"

"Apparently, they broke up two weeks ago!" Libby practically yelled in triumph. "Which means it's all systems go, baby! I mean, technically I'm hoping they hold out until the end of year so I can win the bet, but at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Trevor won it. He was the one who said before the wedding, right?"

"Oh, shit," I huffed, suddenly realising. "That means I've lost! I said they'd be together again by April! God damnit, Rose. But don't tell me," I added, giving Libby a grin. "they're being idiots about it, right?"

Libby rolled her eyes. "How'd you guess?"

"Eh, lucky shot."

"I think we've just got to take the hot weather and hope for the best," Libby pointed lifted up her arms in a stretch then, adding, "So! Moving your stuff over went ok?"

"Well, as it turns out, almost everything I own is actually already over here," I admitted. "So thankfully, it only took one trip."

"Please tell me you used a bubble-head charm this time," Libby said, letting her arms drop back down. "Last time you went back, you nearly ended up hospitalised."

"It was just mould!" I cried. "How was I to know it was toxic?"

"Mmm-hmm, maybe because it was black and every time you took a step, it puffed up into the air?"

"Oh, details, details," I huffed. "Point is, I'm only paying double rent until the three weeks' notice is up. Then bam! You'll have a new flatmate!"

"Can't wait," Libby grinned, moving to tuck her feet underneath her. Resting her hands on my knees, she leaned forward to kiss me. She probably only intended it to be a quick peck, but the suddenness of the movement combined with the first contact with her since she'd come home practically made my head explode. Add in the intense heat and, well … you can imagine, can't you? I think I took her a little off guard with how enthusiastically I responded, but she didn't seem to mind it when I thrust my fingers into her hair, yanking her closer and practically onto her knees. Every sweep of her tongue sent me into a spiralling free-fall and her fingers left sizzling scorch marks against my knees as she slowly moved her hands up my thighs.

"Libby …" I half whispered, half moaned into her mouth.

"You started this …" she murmured back, lips curling against my own.

"I know," I muttered, letting go of her hair to reach out and wrap my arms around her waist. She let out a surprised squeak as I leaned back, unfolding my legs to tangle them up with hers as we lay together on the kitchen floor. "Hot air rises," I said with a grin. "It's cooler down here."

"Oh, I'm more than certain I can prove that wrong," Libby smirked, twisting a few locks of my hair around her fingers, her other hand snaking down my chest between us. "Dare to challenge me?"

Oh, a well-placed kiss on the neck here, her beautiful, dangerous, hands there, and I was more than willing.

I have no idea why Al thought that if I organised his stag do, he'd end up getting married through the bars of a jail cell in Azkaban (I mean seriously, that was one time, and we totally fled the scene before the Aurors could show up!). But whatever I said, Al was resolute: Scorpius Malfoy was his best man, and that was that. The closest I would get was actually getting to come to the stag night!

Well, a man's got to make the most of what he's got, doesn't he?

"Nah, nah, you're effing NUTS if you think Tutshill's got it made!" I yelled over top of one of Al's mates from work, some ginger bloke called Henry. "Are you kidding? They came like, last in the table!"

"Mate, the Canons came last," Louis reminded me, chiming into the conversation in between gulps of his pint.

"OH GOD!" Hugo gave a very dramatic wail in defeat, burying his head in his arms on the table top. "DON'T REMIND ME OF THE PAIN THAT WAS THEIR DEFEAT!"

"Hugo, for the last time, just support another team!" Louis snorted.

"SACRIGLIDGE," Hugo clearly yelled into his arms, though with his voice muffled I'll admit that it was a little bit hard to tell.

Oh, yes. Quidditch. Ever a popular topic amongst men.

We were at our … third? Fourth, pub? I don't know, I was sort of starting to lose track since this was my (third, maybe fourth?) pint of Irish Guinness, but what the hell? It was my brother's last night of freedom! Y'know, I always imagined that the poor boy would look shit terrified on the night before his wedding, but Al was looking surprisingly calm about the whole thing! Granted, he was probably the drunkest out of all of us and had to lean on Scorpius, lest he face-plant onto the floor, but hey, at least he was having fun, right?

Oh, if only Bea could see him now. That girl would probably be seriously rethinking her options.

"Mate, the Canons SUCK!" I pointed out to my dear cousin. "Just get over it already!"

"Don't you diss the Canons!" Hugo cried, lifting his head in outrage. But then, he seemed to reconsider for a moment, before adding in a slightly lower tone, "… but, um, yeah they do suck."

"That's why I reckon Tutshill's totally going to make a comeback," Henry pointed out.

"Ok, seriously, who the hell are you?" Trevor pointed out, moving over to join us, throwing an arm around Henry's shoulders.

"Hey, Al and I at least became friends by choice," Henry pointed out. He then gestured to Hugo, Louis and myself, adding, "He had no bloody chance with you lot!"

"Normally I'd protest that," Louis shrugged. "but he's got a point. Smile, idiots!" he added, holding up the camera. I'm fairly certain that there's a rule about stag night photos never getting out but hey, us Weasley/Potters are anything if not discreet! The only way I figured that Al would let Bea set her eyes on these is if either of them were dying.

But we can't not take photos, right? I mean, how else would we blackmail Al once he was all boring and settled down?

I glanced around our table, feeling surprisingly upbeat about all this. I mean, I knew that I'd become somewhat more accepting of my brother foraying into married life, but I think I was kind of … geez, looking forward to the wedding tomorrow! If that isn't a scary statement, I don't know what is, considering that the entire thing was planned by Queen Godzilla. Al was currently arguing loudly with his other three work mates on the other side of the table, a punch drunk grin on his face, like he was speaking through a haze (wedding haze is a thing, right?). Scorpius was looking thoroughly exasperated, but then the bloke always does (especially if Rose is around … OOH, that reminds me, I totally need to tease him about Rose!). Louis, Hugo and Trevor launched into another Quidditch debate with Henry, and for a moment, I wondered where Fred was … until I remembered that he'd disappeared at the pub previous to this one with a woman called Tania. Toby and whoever else I hadn't named was already gone as well, which didn't really surprise me. But what did was learning that Al had invited Teddy to come to his stag do as well. I mean, the man's got a wife and kid and everything, but I guess we're all pretty close in this family. He was currently having fun trying to poke holes in Al's arguments, a grin on his face.

Ah, Weasley's. You haven't lived until you've met one of us.

(And yes, us Potter's count, too!).

"WHAT? NO!" Louis was currently yelling in Henry's face, hands pressing down on his ears. "TAKE THAT BACK! TUTSHILL TORNADOES WILL NOT WIN NEXT YEAR'S CUP!"

"Honestly? I kind of only watch their games for Rebecca Dryska," Trevor shrugged. "Now that girl can catch a Snitch."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Henry asked.

"Uh, it's a bit complicated …" Trevor explained.

"Ugh!" Henry groaned. "James! C'mon, work with me!"

"You're bloody dreaming," I snorted. "I'd rather slit my own throat than try out for that team!"

"You're not still going on about the bloody Quidditch dream, are you?" Hugo asked then, actually peering up at me between his red curls.

"I don't go on about it!"

"I have never heard a worse lie."

"What about when Fred and I gave you cider at the Quidditch Cup after party and told you it was fruit juice?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," Hugo titled his head up in confusion. "Forgot about that."

"Clearly," Henry snorted.

"Well, whatever, that's not the point!" Hugo insisted. "The thing is that James is never actually going to get around to trying out, so why keep talking about it?"

"You don't know that I won't try out!" I complained.

"James, you've been meaning to try out since you left school," Hugo told me.

Well, ok. He had a point. But that had been because I gave up on the idea! Now, the idea was simply back, and it wasn't like I was seriously considering it, but I at least thought my mates would support the idea! God, how anybody gets anything done in this family without committing suicide is beyond me.

Thankfully, at that point Scorpius announced that it was time to head out to our next pub. Al cheered and in his enthusiasm to get going, stumbled straight into the back of another bloke's bar stool. After an apology and Scorpius having to hastily buy the patron another beer before he choked us all to death, we managed to stumble back out onto the street.

Seeing as we'd been at this for several hours now, there was lots of raucous yells, lots of strange impromptu singing and dance numbers around lamp posts; occasionally there was the odd harassment or two of a stray passer-by also out on the town. Teddy was the one who forced Al's mate, Vinnie, away from a poor couple, where he was trying to make them do, and I quote, 'The Vinnie Dance'.

"Don't worry!" he yelled after them, Teddy dragging him away by the arm. "When I'm famous, I'll give you credit! What're your names?"

"DICK!" the bloke yelled back, him and his girlfriend naturally running away.

"All right then!" Vinnie said, cheerfully. "Dick and Random Girl! I'll remember that!"

"Mate, we're trying not to get arrested here," Teddy pointed out, still tugging him along the street with the rest of us.

More jokes were made about Vinnie's made-up dance (and I use that term rather loosely, since his dance basically consisted of him hopping on one foot and swishing his arms in a seaweed-like motion) as Trevor jumped up onto a wooden bench, leaping across it with his arms out-stretched. Even if there hadn't been alcohol in my system, I would have loved this! Who doesn't enjoy a good party? And the atmosphere was intoxicating enough. With the street lamps glowing, dull music floating out of the pub doors and the sound of laughter and stupid jokes, I figured that we were certainly sending off Al in style!

We were just rounding a corner and I was arguing once more with Henry over the pros and cons of the new Broomstick Regulations that had just been released, when I suddenly heard a scream. It made me halt, seeing as you, um, don't hear screaming in the middle of the night all too often. I swayed slightly when I stopped – no doubt thanks to that night's irresolute drinking – but I was quick to focus on whatever it was I'd just heard instead. I turned back the way we'd come and Henry grabbed my shoulder, nearly making me pitch over.

"What?" he asked, excitedly. "What is it?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

There it was! The scream again! I think there might have been words in amongst the strangled yelling, but it was tough to tell. Without even thinking about it, I took off, back around the corner and stumbling to a halt on the footpath of the road we'd just been walking down.

Vaguely, I was aware that several of the others had followed me in confusion, and they continued, yelling, "OI! James, what the hell're you doing, mate?" as I took off again. Running down the road, I realised that there had been a side street that we'd gone straight past and the screams were currently coming from the depths of the street. Why didn't I hear it before?

"Good lord, is someone murdering a cat down there?" I heard Scorpius ask.

As I darted down the street, the others all still following in varying stages of drunken staggers, I realised that the screams were coming not from a dying cat, but a woman. A woman in a pink party dress, about halfway down the street, who was starting to sound scarily familiar.

Sure enough, I skidded to a stop and nearly fell over when I realised it was Queen Godzilla.

And she was wrapped in cling film to a lamp post.

"Oh my god!" I cried in shock, trying not to laugh.

"GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" she roared.

That was about when the rest of the boys rocked up, several gasping and heaving, Vinnie currently throwing up in the gutter, and the rest simply looking either bewildered or damn amused. "What in Merlin's name …?" Teddy said, eyebrows practically in his fringe.

"Annie!" Al called, good-naturedly. "What's shakin'?"

"I'll tell you what's shakin'!" Queen Godzilla yelled back. Bloody hell, she looked like she'd been attacked and left out for the birds of prey to eat. Her normally immaculate blond hair was – dare I say it – frizzy, with one of the heels on her six inch shoes having been snapped off. She did not look amused as her arms were pinned to her side by cling film, the yards and yards of plastic wrapping her completely around the lamp post from shoulders to knees. This was bloody epic! "Your effing cousin did this to me!"

"… which one?" Al grinned.

"ROSE BLOODY WEASLEY!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Teddy snorted.

"Oh, Rose," Scorpius shook his head, a slight smile on his face.

"This is so cool!" I said.

"Cool? COOL?" Queen Godzilla shrieked. "Come over here, mate, and let me shove my foot so far up your skinny little arse that you can taste it in your bloody MOUTH!"

"Is it just me, or has she become a little more attractive than normal?" I asked at large, getting several agreements from the boys.

Naturally Queen Godzilla started wrestling with the cling film, but that stuff is pure gold; there's no way she was getting out on her own! While Henry bent down to reluctantly help out Vinnie from spewing his guts out and Al's other two mates, Kyle and Logan, laughed along with Louis, Trevor and Hugo, I realised that from the look on his face, my brother was getting an idea.

"Hey, Annie!" he said, cheerfully. "D'you know where the girls were going tonight?"

"Not where I wanted to go, I can tell you that!" Queen Godzilla shouted at him. "I had it all planned, the selfish cows! We were going to play charades and everything, and my baby sister wanted to spend her last night as a free woman at a hovel as grotty as a nightclub? No respect whatsoever!"

"Ooh, what club?" Al asked.

"Uh, Al," Teddy put in then, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Should you really be asking that?"

"Ah, lighten the hell up, Teddy Lupin!" Scorpius put in then, punching Teddy on the shoulder. The bloke seemed to have really lightened up himself ever since Rose was mentioned. It seemed that the alcohol had finally caught up with him now, since he was starting to grin as he continued, "This is Al's party! Let him do what he likes!"

"I, for one, would like to find my soon-to-be wife, please," Al asked, politely.

"Bea doesn't even deserve to be getting married! Not after all the work I put into this!" Queen Godzilla cried.

"Oh, boy," Trevor snorted. "Anyone know how to bribe her?"

"I'll kiss her, if you want?" Logan suggested.

"WHOA, NO!" Al and Scorpius both ended up yelling at the same time, while the rest of the blokes turned in horror.

"Logan, trust me," Scorpius said. "You do not want to kiss that."

"Like I would!" Queen Godzilla said in disgust. "When I get out of here, I'll wring your neck!"

"Who's she talking to …?" Logan asked then, starting to look a bit perplexed as he backed away slowly.

"We find tis bes' not to question her," Al's words were starting to sort of slur together, but luckily Logan caught on to what he was saying. "Anyway! Up wit' it, Annie! Whea's Bea?"

"I don't bloody know! They tied me up and went running off that way!" she said, jerking her head down the side street behind her. "Screaming all sorts of shit about hot dancers and boys with arses!"

We all sort of glanced at each other.

"Uh, just voicing the unspoken opinion, but isn't Hard Spice down this street?" Louis asked out loud.

Sure enough, I ended up in a dark nightclub, despite the fact that we were supposed to be on a pub crawl. So is my life, ladies and gentlemen!

There was no point in pretending that I'd never been in a place like this before (Fred really has taken me to some bloody weird places over the years) but this was probably the first time I'd set foot in a club with an underground, party-girl type feel. Bea's wasn't the only hens party taking place that night, so it was clearly a popular option for the ladies! I'd say there was a more or less even ratio, but I did notice several groups of men crowded around, clearly only there to hit on random bridesmaids and things of the like.

Bea wasn't hard to spot in her sash and tiara (and she had also somehow acquired a feather boa and sunglasses, even though the lights were shoddy at best in here) as she danced with my cousin, Dom, behind her. Lily called out to them across the dance floor – LILY! Since when was my baby sister here?! – before dashing over to join. The rest of the girls were spaced out here and there, Rose currently lost in the music as she spun around with Victoire, and …

Oh, Libby. She was dancing on a table.

"My girlfriend, ladies and gentlemen!" I laughed, gesturing wildly to her table as the boys spread out amongst the hens night. Al made a beeline for his fiancée immediately, his face lighting up when she saw him and yelled out his name, launching herself into his arms out on the dance floor.

Libby glanced down and grinned when she noticed who was standing there. "I see you've come to join us, baby!" she cried.

"It wasn't exactly a planned on decision, but we found ourselves here," I nodded.

"Go on, take it off, James!" Henry yelled, shoving me forward towards the table.

"WOOOOO!" Hugo called from where he was dancing with his arms in the air.

I reached up a hand to help Libby down, but suddenly she was pulling, and the next thing I knew, I was on top of the table with her. I stumbled slightly, the Guinness rushing to my head, but then her hands were on my hips, tugging me closer and quite honestly, that's when I thought, to hell with it. And I ended up dancing on a table in a nightclub with my serious girlfriend.

Some things in life you never expect to say. That, my friend, was one of them!

Considering the limited space and close-quarters, it wasn't exactly dancing, so much as grinding against each other under the flashing lights and electric atmosphere of the club. After some not-so-innocent groping and hips being thrust together, it naturally led to us snogging on the table instead. My ears pounded with the sounds of the pulsing music, people cheering, and maybe the odd scream every now and then (that could've been Rose, my mind vaguely registered) and my heart thudded every time Libby moved closer, when her fingers dug tighter into my back, my waist, my everywhere, when her lips pressed harder, like we could somehow merge into one person.

I'm not entirely sure how that would work, but it sounds kind of hot!

Not the time, James.

"… as much as I want to continue," Libby suddenly gasped, pulling away from me, eventually. "If we don't stop, I fear things may happen right on this table. And Bea will kill me if I upstage her on her hens night."

"Erm, I think it's highly probable she won't notice," I pointed out, trying not to gasp as I nodded to a few metres away. Arms still around each other, (though thankfully, Libby moved hers from unmentionable places to my shoulders, which made it a bit easier to think) we turned to watch Al and Bea out on the dance floor. Though neither were particularly adept at dancing, they didn't seem to care, considering that they were simply snogging in the middle of the dance floor.

"True," Libby acknowledged. "but it's the principle of the night! Help me down?"

"How about you give me a minute?" I asked, faintly.

"Oh," she said, giving me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry!"

"It's – well, not fine, but you better promise to continue this later," I told her.

Eventually, I did manage to get down off the table without breaking something. I turned to hold Libby by the waist, helping her jump down as well. Once we were both back safely on the floor, she continued, "So how'd you guys end up here?"

"Uh …" I had to wrack my brain for a moment, there. "Queen Godzilla! That's right!"

"God, you found her?"

"She was not happy," I nodded.

"Oh dear," Libby said, but she was grinning. "I'm afraid that we might have to make a run for it, should she arrive!"

"Well, she was still struggling when we ran off, so unless she's a witch and is just a seriously late bloomer …"

"Oh my god!" Libby laughed. "You found her and then you left her still stuck to that post?"

"Yes?"

"Shit, James!" she cried. "She's going to murder you all!"

"I should be more worried about this than I am, right?"

"Oh, you're right," Libby was still laughing, which was something at least. "We should just make the most of the night while we can! I swear, when I get married, we'll be partying for the entire week leading up to the wedding!"

And she took me by the hand, leading me into the foray of our mates and (in my case) cousins, Libby calling out and letting me go to twirl around with Jo. As the two girls joined hands, spinning around, and my little sister found me, Lily practically jumping and leaping into my arms, I realised that my mind was currently in a freefall.

Libby's wedding.

She talked about her wedding.

OH MY GOD.

I'M NOT READY FOR THIS!

The next morning, I woke up under a table. Geez, how did I end up back here? Actually, where in god's name was I? I rolled over, wincing at the pounding in my head and when a small, tinny voice started prodding and probing into my brain, I realised that whoever was shouting was probably what had woken me.

"… let him get to THIS state?!"

"Let him?" Oh, that was Scorpius's voice. "Hell, I just woke up and he was already like this!"

"Seriously, the stag do wasn't enough for you lot?" that shrieking voice said again. As the sleep slowly ran out of my brain and I registered that I was at my brother's flat and that it was his kitchen table I was currently lying under, I realised that it was indeed Rose who was yelling. I heard several thumping footsteps and then her voice once more as she called, "Al! It's Rose, can you hear me?"

Al? Bloody hell, what had my brother done now?

When Al responded in a voice that probably only just qualified as conscious (and certainly wasn't coherent) I figured it wasn't too hard to realise that he had gone and gotten himself blind drunk the day of his wedding.

Oh, well.

Pillowing my head on my arms, it was fairly easy to go back to blissful sleep.

"GET. UP!"

"Ahhhhh …!" My yell turned into a strangled moan as some unseen force unceremoniously grabbed me by the ankles. I was pulled out from under the table and when I opened my eyes, blinking blearily, it was to see my dear Joanna White glaring down at me with her wand in her hand, her hair half sticking up at the side, and wearing track pants and a t-shirt that read, 'All men are bastards!'.

"Where's the fire …?" I mumbled.

"The wedding is in half an hour!" Jo practically snarled. "So if you are not ready in fifteen minutes, I will personally kidnap you and take you there myself."

"Dully noted," I answered, reluctantly sitting up. Gaaaah! My head!

Wait, half an hour?

"What's the time?" I practically croaked.

"Half one in the afternoon," Jo snapped. "Yeah!" she added, probably at the look on my face. "That's right, I was serious! HALF AN HOUR, so get ready!"

Merlin's pants! It wasn't like we intended on sleeping into the afternoon. But was it so bad? C'mon, all I had to do was get my suit on and I'd be ready to go! But Jo, it seemed, was on a tirade. When I finally wandered into the lounge, it was to find that all of the boys from the stag do had clearly only just been roused from Jo's round of screaming and magically yanking them out of their blissful dreams. I heard a lot of ruckus coming from the bathroom, which was probably Scorpius trying to sober up my brother (wait, that actually happened? Was Al Potter completely drunk on his wedding day? Oh, this was absolutely brilliant!) and Henry was currently trying to wiggle his way out of the caution tape that wrapped around his entire body.

Um, ok. I won't even pretend to know how that happened.

"What's goin' on?" Trevor was grumbling, rubbing his eyes as he stayed curled up in the corner of the sofa.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Jo cried. "NO ONE is ready, Al is drunk off his face, Rose got called into work, you lot are just lazing around and this wedding will be RUINED, all because of you!"

"… I didn't get Al drunk," Trevor commented.

"No, he did that on his own," Jo rolled her eyes. "Point is, get ready, NOW!"

Well, there's really no arguing with Jo White, especially when she's like this. In all fairness, there's a lot of spunk within her entire five feet of blond iciness! Half of the boys weren't even here – I'm guessing they had all made their way back to their own homes from the night they had spent with the girls they'd picked up – but with drunk Al, it seemed like the place was full of comatose blokes anyway. The plan had actually been to crash here, so I was grateful that our suits and everything was within reach because honestly, I didn't think any of us were up for Apparating. Thankfully, Jo brewed a giant pot of tea with some hangover potion dumped into it, so in between getting our ties stuck in knots, we hastily downed some camomile.

"But I want to see her!" Al was currently whining, swaying slightly as he stood in the hallway, Scorpius being the only thing keeping him upright.

"Al, does wedding tradition mean NOTHING to you?" Jo said, exasperatedly.

"Queen Godzilla will actually strangle you," Scorpius pointed out.

I was about to agree – seriously, Bea was normally a rather sweet, calm soul, but had the potential to be downright terrifying if she wanted to – but that was when I actually caught a good look at Scorpius's face for the first time that morning. Aaaand I burst into laughter instead.

"Oh, man!" I cried. "Scorpius, mate, what the hell happened to you? Get into a fight with a door frame or something?"

"It was a hundred pound boxer, if you must know," Scorpius grumbled, rolling his eyes as if he didn't have a giant black bruise blooming on one side of his face.

"Yeah, right," I snorted. "You're telling me you got into an honest to god fight at a nightclub?"

"I think the technically correct story is that I got my arse kicked at a nightclub," Scorpius sighed. "but c'mon! The bloke was about ten times my size and you lot were all too busy getting off with the first girl you could find to help me!"

"Well, to be fair, I was getting off with my girlfriend," I pointed out. "Look, I'll humour you. Why'd you get your arse handed to you by this alledged 'boxer'?"

"He was kissing Rose!" Scorpius cried exasperatedly, having to grab hold tighter to Al when his exuberant arm gestures nearly let my brother break free. "What'd you expect me to do, just stand and watch?"

I stared for a moment. Huh! Scorpius had probably been the most sober out of all of us – not that it was saying much, but still – so I figured I could probably assume he was telling the truth. In which case, I was starting to believe him. Because really, what wouldn't Scorpius do to protect Rose? Nothing short of murdering someone, I was willing to guess.

(Even then, I'm assuming that he'd help her hide a body at some point, if the situation arose).

(Best not think about that).

"I don' care about Scorpius gettin' punched!" Al cut in to complain, then. "I know Bea will want to see me, so why shouldn't I go over there?"

"Al, mate," I said then, turning to my brother. "d'you really want to potentially anger your soon-to-be wife on your wedding day?"

"Oh, you shut it!" Al yelled back to me. "You wouldn't understand, unless it was your wedding!"

At his words, I certainly did shut up.

Your wedding.

Why does that phrase keep coming up?

It had been going so well! Almost the entire stag do went by without a single mention or teasing of wedding bells in the future, until Libby just HAD to bring it up! I don't even think she did it consciously; she never acknowledged her words after they'd come out of her mouth, and she'd simply spent the rest of the night dancing with her friends in between snogging me at regular intervals. But when we were all sore and wary, ready for bed and exhausted beyond belief, I think she noticed how erratic I was acting. In compensation for not wanting to freak out until my brother was actually at the altar, I'd been talking even louder than usual, kissing her with more enthusiasm than expected, and she'd ended up saying goodnight by patting me awkwardly on the arm.

My problem wasn't that I didn't want to consider marriage at all, ever. It was that I didn't want to think about it now! I won't lie and pretend that the idea of getting married someday didn't appeal, but it was always just a fleeting thought that was always soon put aside in favour of the next girl who came along. And I knew that if I did really consider it, I would have to have that conversation with Libby.

And there was no way in utter HELL I was ready for that, yet!

Oh, man. Sometimes, I really did wonder how anybody got married at this rate.

Thankfully, my rambling thoughts were cut short. Turns out that Al could be a bloody weightlifter when he wanted to be, since it was at that moment he practically ripped himself out of Scorpius's arms in a desperate bid to escape. He was out the door within five seconds and, of course, Scorpius went tearing after him, yelling, "OI! At least wait so you don't break your face!" Their bickering voices echoed down the corridor, until there was a loud thump and a girls voice shrieked,

"What are you DOING?"

Jo just sighed. "Men are useless in a crisis," was all she said.

I was rather inclined to agree with her!

When it came time to head out to the church, we ended up in a mad dash. Well, I say mad dash – it was more like a sprint for your life, otherwise you're dead kind of deal! Trevor ended up losing his balance and falling over while changing (I know, so full of poise) and naturally, he took out an entire rack of suits – that also contained mine and Hugo's – along with him. We were caught up longer than the others, so Jo wrestled the rest of the men into a taxi while us three scrambled to magically fix any rips and tears. We changed rather frantically, mainly in hopes that Rose or Queen Godzilla or someone else with murderous tendencies didn't want to kill us.

But, as it happens when these things pan out, Rose had a plan.

"… ok – go, go, go!" she stage whispered, frantically waving with a hand behind her back. Thankfully, Queen Godzilla was busy lecturing the driver of the horse and carriage down in the street outside the building (I know, there's going to be an ACTUAL legitimate horse and carriage at this wedding! Who did Queen Godzilla think was getting married, here? Because it sure as hell wasn't Bea Bowmen!). While Bea's sister in question was distracted, the rest of us (and by that, I mean a long of list of people that I can't really rattle off the top of my head because we were all moving too quickly and my head still kind of hurt a bit … ow). But I knew that there was at least the happy couple, Libby, Jo and Lily, Trevor, Hugo … and somehow, we managed to run around the corner of the building, smothering laughs and snorts behind our hands as we gave Queen Godzilla the slip.

You'd think the girl would've learnt by now!

By the time Queen Godzilla probably realised we had disappeared, we were already streets away! We ended up having to collapse in a fit of giggles and laughter at what we'd done and though Rose shrieked and complained about how we were never going to get to the wedding at this rate, she did lighten up softly when the bottle of Billywig Blast went around (how Al got his hands on that is beyond me, but as it turns out, my brother can be a sly little weightlifter when he's drunk!).

So we took it upon ourselves to walk to the church! Which went about as well as you can imagine, but it's not that we didn't have good intentions. While everyone chatted away in our little group, Hugo grinning and waving to every pedestrian that went by while Scorpius's ex, Sophie, talked animatedly to Trevor, I walked with Libby's arm around my waist. She was rambling about … something, but I couldn't take it in.

This entire day was starting to become overwhelming, what with the wedding, and her, and potential futures, and GAH! I love my brother and Bea, don't get me wrong. But why couldn't they be normal? Sure, normal's boring, but if this had just been a regular wedding in a regular family, then I wouldn't find myself at this point! I had already changed so much about myself recently that talking about the future would just be too much right now. I had to snap somewhere. And I did want to still have a head once I actually got around to having that talk some day. Because, yes, I did intend on it. This was Libby! I love her!

Oh, man. I needed to sort this before I had another emotional breakdown.

"Libby?" I suddenly asked.

"… and then we – sorry, yeah?" she asked, glancing up at me as Rose tried to herd us down the right street.

"Do you want to get married someday?" I found myself blurting out.

Oh, dear. Perhaps I shouldn't have said it like that. Libby almost looked like she was about to turn purple.

"I … oh, bloody hell," she said, looking away at once and shaking her head. She felt like she was about to pull back her arm from around me, but I held her there, keeping my own arm around her shoulders. I didn't want to lose her because of this.

"James," she said. "where on earth did that come from?"

"With the wedding today? Where did you think?" I answered, laughing weakly.

Thankfully, Libby gave me a smile. "James, I can't remember much from last night," she admitted. "But I know you were there at some point. If I said anything … oh, shit," She looked away, staring hard at the footpath in front of us with an almost guilty expression. "Look, I'm so sorry, James, but I just don't think I'm ready to have this conversation yet–"

"Oh my god, yes!" I cried, immediately. I stopped us then, the rest of our group continuing on around us as we paused in the middle of the busy pavement. We nearly got crushed by the flow of pedestrians, but we moved to the side so I could place my hands on her shoulders. She reached up, holding onto my wrists, gently. "Libby, I'm not either! But you said – and then – and I just thought …"

I let my voice trail off pathetically, but luckily, she just laughed.

"James!" she said, moving forward with a smile and burying her face in my chest. "It's ok, I swear. We haven't even been together half a year. There's plenty of time for that later. All right?"

"Shit, yes," I said at once, both of us letting go of each other so I could wrap my arms around her waist, kissing her on top of her head. "So … we're both on the same page, then?"

"Yes," Libby said, looking up at me. Then, she just sniggered. "Oh, geez. Sometimes, James, our relationship really does make me laugh!"

"Because it's so ridiculous?" I grinned.

"Because it's been the most fun I've ever had in a long time," she answered. "Now, c'mon – we've got to catch up before Rose has a meltdown!"

In the end, though, 'meltdown' was probably a bit of an understatement.

"I'M IN LOVE WITH ROSE WEASLEY!" Scorpius was yelling, standing on some department store steps, with his arms thrown out wide. Several pedestrians stared in shock, bumping into each other as others stopped to watch the carnage that was going on. In response, Rose shrieked, "Oh my god!" She leapt up the stairs to grab him around the waist, yanking him back down, before proceeding to question his sanity.

Yes. Rose and Scorpius got into a bit of an argument. Is there really anything else that happens anymore?

As Libby and I eagerly watched the two banter back and forth along with the others, though, I realised that there was nothing else I'd rather happen. I mean, sure, they're a bit ridiculous, but they'd been through too much to just give up now! Soon after the loud declaration of love, Scorpius's best friend, Lucy Harley, turned up and joined the debate of mixed feelings. I'd never had much to do with the girl, but I knew that Rose hated 'the bitch' (as she called her). I knew that Harley and Scorpius had gone out, once upon a time. But it was obvious from the conversation (and I use that term very loosely, because they were all still screaming) that even Harley was tired of this nonsense. Rose and Scorpius were quite clearly teetering on the edge of destruction. Either, it would all go tipping over the right way, and Trevor would finally win that bet, orrrrr they would snap and rip each other's heads off. And I know I've made so many jokes about them in the past, but it's really looking like it's starting to reach that breaking point!

Oh, Rose and Scorpius. Despite what happened, I knew that I would always be rooting for those two, no matter what.

"… you at least understand why this is hard, right?" Rose was saying, desperately. The rest of us were crowded around, watching with our eyes glued to the scene. Muggles were rapidly piling up behind us, craning heads, trying to get a good look at what was causing the hold up in the middle of the footpath.

"Yes, it's hard," Scorpius countered back to her. They were standing all but a foot away from each other, having been inching closer and closer as the argument – over what, I still didn't really know! – went by. Pretty soon, they'll be slicing throats, or snogging, I bet you. "It's all wrong, but screw it, that's us! If you can't … if you really can't do that anymore, then just say. I won't be strung along."

Rose looked like he'd just slapped her.

"… you know I can't do that," she managed to get out.

"Oh, really, why?" Scorpius asked, starting to get a smirk on his face. Oh, so he was totally playing her! Y'know, I won't pretend to know everything about their relationship (half of it I probably really don't want to know), but I was guessing that there was a hell of a story behind all this.

(Maybe I'd get her to tell me it someday – who knows?).

"You know why!"

"So?"

"You're actually going to make me say it again, aren't you?" Rose sighed.

"Yes."

"FINE!" Rose suddenly yelled, making the rest of us jump slightly. "I'm still in love with you! You know it, I know it, HELL, everyone on this bloody STREET knows it!" she added with a gesture to the crowd. Libby had climbed on top of a discarded box full of rubbish that didn't fit in the rubbish bin in order to see more clearly over the top of the heads of our friends. She was grinning as she held my hand for balance. "And you WIN, ok?! I keep saying this isn't the right time, but there will never be a right time with us, so you're right, who cares? I can't stand this tension either, so I love you and nothing else matters! I–"

Thankfully, that was when Scorpius came round long enough to do the sensible thing … which was kissing her fiercely and therefore, shutting her the hell up.

The rest of us burst into applause, naturally; even Al and Bea, who I think were supposed to have been at their wedding about half an hour ago! Rose and Scorpius completely ignored us along with the rest of the crowd that had gathered; those people were also clapping, others simply recording this all on their phones.

"Go Rose and Scorpius," Trevor called out, cheerfully.

"YAY!" Lily was practically dancing on the spot.

"WOOOOO!" Libby cheered, letting me go to punch her hands into the air. Unfortunately, without my support, she shifted her foot and the box collapsed under her weight; she toppled into the rubbish bin with a clang, hitting the ground hard.

"Oh my god, are you ok?" I cried, trying not to laugh as I held out a hand to help her up.

"I think I was a bit too enthusiastic there," Libby answered, rubbing her bum once she was standing up right again. "Merlin, I think I've bruised my arse!"

Eventually, Rose and Scorpius stopped snogging each other long enough to realise that someone had called the police on us; I guess screaming in the street might seem alarming for those not used to it, I wouldn't know! But despite Libby trying to explain an unabridged version of Rose and Scorpius's story to one of the officers (which ended in me having to drag her away before she got arrested, seeing as their story is not short), we all managed to get safely escorted to a nearby reserve without someone ending up in jail. My baby sister had started complaining loudly now about how Trevor had somehow managed to win the bet instead of her, but he was resolute in his reasoning.

"Look, you've been out of the country for how long?" he said, shooting her a look as we all milled about on the grass. "Lily, I know you're good, but you're not that good."

"But I ALWAYS win!" she cried.

"If it makes you feel any better, I was out by months," Libby shrugged.

Lily just grumbled at that, but thankfully, the actual delight at seeing Rose and Scorpius happy once more was enough to placate her … just. The couple in question was busy canoodling in the grass in front of us, while Libby had thrown herself onto my lap as I sat on a park bench, joined by Sophie and Harley. I watched them for a moment, noticing Rose's face light up as they kissed; she would never admit it, but this was the happiest she'd been all year, I could totally tell. See? Not completely unobservant!

It wasn't strange to want what they had, right? I mean, I know their relationship was a train wreck at some points, but at the end of the day, they always come back to each other. That's got to count for something, right?

Lily had launched into an interrogation, demanding Trevor tell her every single sign he saw that made him choose just before the wedding for the bet, as opposed to any other time. While he answered all her probing questions good-naturedly (like only Trevor can), Libby leaned back against my chest for a moment, turning her head slightly so she could rest her forehead against the side of mine.

"… we're good, right?" she asked quietly, as Sophie and Harley chatted next to us.

"'course!" I answered at once. "I mean, I do fear that my alcohol intake might have reached its limit for the last 24 hours, but as for you and me … nothing could be better."

"Brilliant," Libby smiled. She kissed the side of my head quickly, before turning back to face everyone else, sprawled in front of the bench on the grass. "As for what's next … well, what the hell do we do now?" she called out to everyone, who's chatting fell silent as everyone considered.

For a moment, we simply debated, until Al and Bea agreed on at least one thing: they were totally ditching their own wedding! Nothing about the day planned for them appealed whatsoever, and they were more than willing to forget the whole thing. But while excited at first that they were going to run out on Queen Godzilla's disastrously planned nuptials, they soon started lamenting that they had really wanted to get married. And I could see it in them, which isn't often the case. I mean, fine, I think we all know that I am not an observant person, but it was clear even to me how disappointed the two were!

Until –

"Bea, I have an idea!" Al cried, a thought suddenly blooming onto his face. "You want to get married today, right?"

"… right," Bea said, looking sceptical.

"Then let's get married!" he practically yelled, bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Al, what the heck are you planning?"

Apparently, my brother was planning something spectacular. Because in the end, on that day in blazing hot July, there were two weddings. The first was planned by Annie 'Queen Godzilla' Bowmen. There were over 200 guests. The reception was at a private countryside manor belonging to one of Bea's great-aunts. The bride was to arrive via horse and carriage, and ultimately, everything from the flowers, to the music and to even the damn tablecloths, was Queen Godzilla's perfect wedding.

Then, there was the other wedding. This one had a maximum of eleven people attending, including the bride and groom. It took place in the middle of a park. The only decorations had been fifty multi-coloured balloons, an extremely bewildered Minister (who had been summoned there and asked to officiate on the spot), and after everything that they had been through, it was the wedding that Al and Bea had wanted.

Had Queen Godzilla been pissed off that the couple in question failed to turn up to their own wedding and instead, got married in the middle of the reserve down the road from their flats? Oh, yes.

Had it been worth it in the end? Oh, yes.

"James, can you make me a promise?"

I stuck my head back around our bedroom door, catching Libby's eye. She had already belly flopped right into the middle of our bed, her arms flat at her sides. She turned her head so she could see me and continued,

"When we're ready to have that conversation … we'll both let the other know. Ok?"

I grinned. She still hadn't changed out of her dress from earlier; well, I say dress, but it was really one of Rose's lounge curtains, since apparently her original bridesmaid dress had been ruined in some nuclear explosion (or at least that's how she'd put it). She had managed to kick her shoes off at least, which had been killing her by the end of the evening if her wincing and swearing was anything to go by. Al and Bea had gotten their wedding reception eventually, once they'd actually turned up to the church. I'm telling you, it was clearly one hell of a shock to everyone else when Al and Bea had cheerfully announced to everyone that they'd already gotten married.

I swear, my dad's head nearly exploded!

But once the shock had worn off, everyone was more than willing to retreat to the church hall for dancing and cheap wine bought from the closest liquor store. Though we had to cut it short so everyone could go feed themselves (I suppose no catering was a mild drawback from the impromptu wedding) Al and Bea had clearly had the time of their lives today.

I'd spent the entire night dancing with Libby and it was probably, so far, one of the best nights of my life.

"Ok," I answered, simply.

A/N: So this chapter basically covers everything that happens in CGIR from 'The Hot One' to 'The Epic One' (chapters 28-33). I feel like sometimes there was a bit too much crossover, but it this was a point where the two stories really did connect. In order for this story to feel complete, I needed to put at least some of it in there and I still feel like I didn't quite manage a perfect balance somehow. But it was still insanely fun to write, and I hope you all enjoyed James' take on Al and Bea's wedding!

I know a lot of scenes from CGIR were mentioned in this chapter. If you want to know where exactly to find any of them again, just ask and I'll (hopefully) point you to the right chapter. :)

Thank you so much for all of your reviews! From here on out, we're delving into what happens after CGIR, so prepare yourselves! We've got another year and a bit to cover! I'd say that at this point, this story is looking to be about 35-40ish chapters long, but that's only a really rough estimate.

Please, all of you reading out there, I'd love it if you took the time out to review. :)

Until next time -

- Moon. :D

(PS. Sorry this took so long!).