Summer Surprise

Meeting Mothers

Don't look up Don't look up Don't look up Don't –

"Lily Evans! Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

Well there goes my plan down the drain…

I wince at the terse tone before raising my head and forcing myself to meet Mum's stern gaze. As her furious emerald eyes lock with mine, I whimper inwardly, trying to control the urge of cowering under her accusing glare. I gulp audibly and open my mouth to try and explain my actions. Again. "Mum, I'm really so–"

"Do you have any idea what you put me through?" she cuts me off for the thousandth time. "I'm so disappointed in you, Lily. I thought you were more responsible than this. Did you even stop and think about your actions? Did you think about what it was like for me when Petunia came home and told me that you didn't even go to the party, let alone return with her? How could you be so irresponsible, Lily? I still don't understand how your Dad let you off this easy. But don't you dare expect such an easy escape from me! I mean, anything could've happened; you could've been kidnapped–"

Oh Merlin!

Standing in the middle of the living room, I sigh softly before tuning her out. Despite admitting my mistake and apologizing for it, I can't believe Mum's been rambling on and on for the past two hours. Admittedly, I feel a little guilty for doing this, but I still can't shake off the feeling that she's overreacting a bit.

As Mum's voice continues to echo through my mind, I can't help but feel immensely grateful to Dad. His reaction was completely understandable and legit; Happiness at first, then some questioning, then some scolding, and then forgiving. Well, all of that was after I convinced Dad that it wasn't James' fault and that he shouldn't rip out his limbs…but still. And now that he's left for office, Mum seems to be covering up for Dad's lack of lecturing as well.

"Um…Mrs. Evans? If you don't mind, can I say something?" James' voice drifts to my ears and I start paying attention again. I smile automatically. James is going to save me from this torture! I snap my head back to Mum to catch her reaction. Barely able to control myself from rolling my eyes as she stops her speech, I wait for James to continue.

"I think it was very wrong of Lily to lie to you," he says.

Exactly! That's right, it was very – Wait, WHAT? My eyes widen in shock before the bubbling anger and feeling of betrayal makes me turn red. I decide to take it out by glaring at James. But the git has the audacity to ignore me! I clench my fists at his behavior and mentally dare him to continue.

Naturally, James Potter never backs out from a challenge. Bloody handsome back-stabber!

"I completely agree that she shouldn't have left without telling you where she was going. I mean, anything could've happened, right? What would've happened if she hadn't reached my home safely?" James adds in a horrified tone. I narrow my eyes at him dangerously and start making a list of life-threatening hexes and jinxes. For a split second, I feel James glance at me from the corner of his eye and grin slightly, but as soon as I blink, his expression is carefully blank again, making me wonder if I'd imagined the entire thing.

"Yes, James," Mum says, smiling at him before directing her infamous glare at me. "Lily has behaved very rashly, indeed. I think a few weeks of grounding would do her some good." She says thoughtfully. I barely manage to control my groan of frustration at that. A few weeks of grounding? I was supposed to go meet Mrs. Potter for Merlin's sake!

"No!" James suddenly exclaims, wide-eyed. At Mum's look of confusion, he clears his throat and says in a calm voice, "I mean, I just realized that the entire thing was my fault." I stare at him, dumbstruck. "If I hadn't left and Sirius hadn't come here, then Lily would've never lied to you and left." He says in an upset tone.

I raise my eyebrow dubiously. What the hell is he doing? One moment, he is blaming me for being irresponsible and the next, he's taking all the blame on himself?

"Oh no, James dear," Mum says, bringing me out of my musings. "It was not your fault. No one forced her to lie. I'm sure I would've understood if she would've just told me the truth." Mum argues, glaring at me once more. I stare at the floor and try to look as regretful as possible.

"But I still can't help but feel guilty," James persists. As Mum opens her mouth to contradict him again, he sighs loudly before putting on a pleading look and saying, "And if you ground Lily, I'll feel like it's my fault. Please forgive her Mrs. Evans. Or maybe you should just scold me as well. After all, I did leave without saying anything and made Lily come to my house."

I scoff inwardly. As if that's ever gonna happen.

And Mum does nothing to prove my theory wrong…

"Of course not, dear. I'm glad that you and Lily cleared your misunderstandings. Which I'm sure was her fault anyway. Otherwise she wouldn't have needed to apologize to you," I can't help but roll my eyes at this point. "But if you really insist, I'll not ground her." She adds in a softer tone. I blink. And blink again. She doesn't take back her words. My jaw drops to the floor in disbelief. I have never seen a clearer case of partiality in my life!

Turning to look at James, I find him smirking at me inconspicuously behind Mum. Why that little sneaky…

Absolutely gorgeous boyfriend!

I find myself staring at him in awe as I realize that this whole act was for Mum to fall in his trap and save me from getting grounded. Physically restraining myself from jumping at James and snogging him senseless at the discovery turns out to be quite difficult at this point. Despite crushing those rather inappropriate urges, I can't control the grin that spreads across my face.

"No need to grin, Lily. I'm still angry with you." Mum says suddenly. Great, she thinks I'm smiling because I've escaped from punishment. Actually, that's a good excuse for explaining my actions. Thanks Mum.

"I'm sorry Mum," I put on a puppy-dog face and try to look as ashamed as possible. I hope you understand that it gets tedious after two and a half hours. Suddenly, a brilliant idea crosses my mind and I wave my wand, conjuring up a bouquet of flowers. With another wave, I summon a bar of dark chocolate from my stash before offering both to Mum. Bribery gets you everywhere.

"Here you go, Mum. That's for you." I say with a smile. She better be grateful. I'm giving her my chocolate for Merlin's sake!

James catches my eye and looks at me approvingly. Smirking at him in response, I haughtily lift my chin as Mum takes the gifts from me. "Thank you, Lily. I must say your methods of persuasion have improved quite a bit." Mum chuckles. I shrug modestly.

If you must know, the truth is, my ego just inflated a few notches. Darn! James Potter seems to be affecting me more than I thought he would.

"Uh, Mum?" I find myself saying cautiously. "I sort of promised Mrs. Potter that I'd go and meet her. 'Cause James and I left as soon as we could. So…can we…go?"

Mum stares at me blankly for a few seconds before she grins in such a manner that I start fearing that it will eat up her entire face. "Of course, honey!" she screeches. Yes. Screeches! "What sort of questions are you asking? You should never back out of a promise like this. Go on. Go, go! Shoo, shoo!" she starts pushing me towards the door.

"Alright! Alright! I'm leaving," I say, rolling my eyes at her excited behavior. "I'll just go change into some fresh clothes first. This one feels too dirty. We can leave after that."

Walking out of the living room, I make my way up the stairs and into the hall. After going to my room and fishing out a pair of jean capris with a simple white, boat necked top, I start walking towards the bathroom when I spot a head of messy, jet-black hair climbing up the stairs. I smirk inwardly as an idea pops into my mind.

I think it's time to show James my 'gratitude'.

I lean against the bathroom door in a waiting position as James walks across the hall. Spotting me, a smug grin spreads across his face and he raises his eyebrows before walking and positioning himself in front of me. As he leans closer to me and his scent takes over my senses, my heart starts fluttering and my stomach starts summersaulting automatically. I gulp.

No. You're straying away from the plan, Lily! Focus!

"So…waiting for me?" James asks with a smirk as he places a hand on either side of my head on the door.

"Yes," I squeak immediately. Smooth, Lily, smooth. Clearing my throat and ignoring his amused expression, I try again. "Actually, yes, I was." I whisper suavely. As James raises his eyebrow questioningly at me, I stand on my tip-toes and gently kiss his cheek, making sure to place it close to the corner of his mouth. Praising my self-control, I pull back from him.

"What was that for?" he asks, looking pleased and disappointed at the same time.

"That was for helping me get away from Mum." I reply slyly before hooking an arm around his neck. I lick my lips and do a little victory jig mentally as James' eyes follow the movement and he swallows. Leaning towards him, I place a tantalizing kiss on his jaw before moving to his mouth. But just as our lips barely brush against each other, I force myself to pull back from him with a satisfied smirk.

"And that," I whisper, watching James groan in dissatisfaction, "Was for calling me irresponsible."

He narrows his eyes and glares in my direction, receiving nothing more than an amused chuckle from me in response. But the laughter quickly dies down on my lips as I watch a mischievous gleam take over James' hazel eyes before he smirks and says, "Ah, but I've got you trapped now."

With that said, he suddenly leans closer to me and I have to fight down the strong urge of giving in to his – and admittedly my – desire. But instead, I jerk my head back and in one swift motion, use my unoccupied hand to wrench open the bathroom door behind me and stumble inside before slamming it shut into James' surprised and startled face.

"You never had me trapped. There was a reason I was leaning against the door, you know," I laugh, hearing him grumble on the other side.

"That was a dirty little trick and you know it. You're such a minx." I hear him retort.

"Am not," I protest indignantly. "And anyway, you were asking for it." I wriggle out of my dress quickly and step into the shower, hearing James huff one last time before the sounds of his footsteps fade away. After letting the warm water wash over my muddy hair and body, I pour a generous amount of lilac-scented shampoo into my palm and wash my red strands thoroughly.

After fifteen minutes, I make my way down the stairs, dressed in the clean outfit and feeling much more refreshed than I had been for the past two days. As soon as I step down the last stair, Mum rushes out of the kitchen and beams at me. "Ah! You're ready now. Do you want to eat something before you go, dear?"

"No. I already–"

"Okay. JAMES! Lily is ready! You can take her to meet your parents now," Mum cuts me off mid-sentence. The eye roll from me that follows her thrilled tone is inevitable. I sigh softly as James comes out from the kitchen a moment later and takes my hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Evans," he says to Mum. "We'll be back soon."

"Oh, take your time," Mum gushes, smiling broadly. Merlin, she needs to calm down.

"Let's go?" I ask James, looking up at him. He merely nods his head in response and does not look at me. I raise my eyebrow at his behavior but decide not to say anything.

Yet.

With a final goodbye to Mum – well, it was more like she was throwing us out of the house – James and I concentrate on our destination before turning on the spot and apparating from the house.

"It's a good thing I didn't concentrate on apparating to your room. But, I don't know, do you splinch yourself if you try to apparate to a place where you can't?" I ask James with curiosity as we make our way towards the giant gates of the Potter Mansion once more. After a few more moments when he doesn't reply, I stop walking and tug on his arm, pulling him back as well.

As soon as James turns around, I shake my head amusedly before throwing my arms around his neck and capturing his lips with mine. He immediately grins against my mouth and as he snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me against his firm body, I have to refrain from rolling my eyes at his predictable behavior.

Not like you would be able to anyway, a small voice in my mind argues. Considering that you're too busy kissing him with your eyes closed.

I promptly shut out the voice. Sometimes I feel like I'm just too smart for my own good…

"Happy now?" I ask James, pulling away from him after a few moments.

"Very." He replies cheekily, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we walk up the gravel path and towards the mansion's entrance.

"You're such a dork," I mutter, rolling my eyes at him. But the effect is ruined when I am unable to keep the silly grin off my face. Darn it!

"True," James says, smiling down at me. "But you love me."

"Touché." I grin in response. "But doesn't that just make me a bigger dork?"

"Don't worry," he replies, grasping my hand and leading me inside the door. "I happen to love dorks, too. Especially the beautiful, redhead ones." As a deep blush creeps onto my face at his words, I hear him chuckle at my reaction. Prat.

Shoving James playfully, I look around at my surroundings and my mouth drops open in awe. Staring at the huge foyer in amazement, I take in the spotless marble tiles which make me I feel as if I'm going to ruin them with each step I take. After tearing my eyes away from the floor, I find myself marveling at the beauty of the grand staircase that leads to the first floor. It immediately reminds me of some palace entrance. Not that I've ever been to one, I realize. But I'm sure it wouldn't be much different.

"Mum! I'm home!" James suddenly bellows, startling me. "And I want you to meet someone."

I bite my lip and start fidgeting with my hands as it suddenly hits me that I'm about to meet James' mother. My boyfriend's mother! This is important. I need to make a good impression, I decide, trying in vain to seem confident, when in reality, I couldn't be more nervous. James must've noticed my expression because I suddenly feel him squeeze my hand reassuringly, making me look up at him. "Don't stress. Mum's gonna love you." He smiles down at me and I manage a small smile as well.

"Oh, so this is Lily Evans?" Someone's voice enters my ears, making me my redirect my attention towards the staircase where a kind looking woman stands, grinning warmly at me. As soon as my eyes land on her sparkling hazel orbs and familiar smile, I know in an instant that it's James' Mum. And before I have time to even reply to her question, I feel myself being enveloped into a warm hug. Needless to say, I am a bit more than surprised at this greeting.

Mrs. Potter pulls away from me after a few moments and I get a chance to observe her better; with deep purple robes and her slightly graying hair tied into an elegant bun, I immediately decide that she is indeed a very beautiful woman. As I look up into her kind face, I feel a sense of royalty, yet motherliness, radiating from her personality. Immediately, I find myself grinning back at her.

"My, my! James wasn't exaggerating about your beauty," She says, swiftly giving me the once-over. I blush a deep scarlet at her compliment and taking a sideways glance at James, find a pink tinge to his cheeks as well. "Thank You, Mrs. Potter," I reply.

"Please call me Dorea, dear." She says with a wave of her hand before leading James and me into a massive room, which I can only guess is their living area. After James and I settle down on a couch and Dorea sits down in the armchair in front of the fireplace, she speaks again. "I'm sure Charlus would've been delighted to meet you, Lily. It's a pity he's off on an Auror mission at the moment." She sighs softly. I nod my head in response, silently assuming that Charlus is James' Dad.

"I would've liked to meet him, too," I tell her. "But I understand. I plan on becoming an Auror after Hogwarts, as well."

"Of course, James has mentioned that." She smirks. Smirks! And it reminds me so much of the boy sitting next to me that it's unnerving. "In fact, I'd go as far as to say that everyone in this house knows everything about you; from the fact that you couldn't stand him until just recently to your favorite food item." Dorea chuckles as I start resembling a tomato more and more by each passing second.

"Mum!" James exclaims in a mortified tone. "Stop it. You're embarrassing her. She'll run away." He says, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer to his side. This does absolutely nothing to reduce my blush.

"Sorry Lily," Dorea says, wiping away tears of mirth from the corner of her eyes. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. As a matter of fact, I'm immensely grateful to you. Without your help, it would have taken me forever to deflate James' head. I owe you." She teases her son, making me snort with laughter.

Well, at least now I know where James gets his teasing abilities from.

"Mum, now you're embarrassing me!" James cries, making me and Dorea laugh even louder, to which he rolls his eyes and mutters, "Women are so evil." I decide to have mercy and let him live this time.

"I knew I heard some high pitched giggles," Sirius' voice drifts to my ears from the doorway before he enters and sits beside me on the couch, casually flinging an arm around my shoulder. I huff mockingly and shrug his arm off. "We were not giggling," I protest and Dorea nods her head in agreement. I glare as the two black-haired Marauders on either side of me share an amused smirk which clearly says, 'they were so giggling.'

"Oh! Before I forget," I say, trying not to hex the smirks off their faces. "Thank you so much for everything, Dorea. I'm sorry I had to leave earlier without meeting you."

"Please, Lily, dear. It was absolutely nothing," she replies modestly. "But if you want, there is something you can do for me." She adds as an afterthought.

"Of course. What can I do?"

"Well, I am throwing a ball next week. Hopefully, Charlus will be able to attend it, too. And I would love it if you could come." Dorea smiles at me. My eyes involuntarily widen at her words; a ball? Snapping my head towards James, I find him shrug at me, as if to say, 'it's your choice.' I sigh and make up my mind. Apart from the fact that I don't know ballroom dancing, how bad could it be?

Not too bad, right?

"I think I'd like that," I reply and watch as Dorea clasps her hands happily, beaming at me. "But there is one problem." I add in a small voice. At her questioning gaze, I open my mouth to reply, when James beats me to it –

"She doesn't know how to do ballroom dancing, Mum." He supplies. I meekly nod my head in agreement.

"Oh, I have a solution for that," Dorea says cheerfully. "Since James and Sirius both know how to do it, I am sure they'd be willing to teach you. Isn't that right, boys? And you're both going to behave like gentlemen, alright?"

"C'mon, Mum," Sirius flicks his hair out of his gray eyes in such a suave manner that it makes me jealous. "We always behave like gentlemen." I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from bursting out with laughter at his comment.

"I agree," adds James. "And don't worry, Mum. We'd love to teach Lily how to dance." He winks at me, earning an eye roll in response, but I can't help it as my heart flutters happily in anticipation. I'm hopeless.

"Hey, Evans! Why don't you and Prongs stay here for one week? It'll be easier that way," Sirius suddenly quips, his eyes sparkling with life. "And maybe we could get Moony and Wormtail to come as well. That'd be great! What do you say, Mum?" Sirius asks Dorea.

It barely takes a second for her to make up her mind.

"That's a brilliant idea, Sirius. Would you like stay, Lily? Hoping that your parents wouldn't mind, that is." She looks at me expectantly. I take a few minutes to consider the offer– Firstly, Mum will probably kick me out of the house if I didn't listen to her 'James honey's' mother. Secondly, if Dad has any objections, Mum will force him to not say anything. Thirdly, I would feel like crap if I have to let down Dorea. And fourthly, why the hell can't I?

"I'd love to stay," I reply before looking up at James and grinning as he squeezes my hand and smiles at me gratefully.

To be continued…

AN – Okay, so I know this is the longest I've taken to update yet. But my exams are almost here, guys. And I was going through a horrible phase of writer's block. But I finally managed to finish it. Woohoo! Please tell me what you think about this chapter. I would love for everyone to leave reviews. And I'm sorry but I can't promise my updating times any longer with these horrendous exams looming over me. But I swear I'll try my best to get in the next chapter as soon as I can. Love you guys!

Claudia.