Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Harry Potter series and any characters you recognize, because then I would be a millionaire living in England. Unfortunately for me, J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter series and any characters you recognize, so therefore she's a millionaire living in England. I live in Wisconsin, U.S.A, and I'm far from being a millionaire. Please don't sue me, because every penny I earn brings me closer to being the English millionaire I wish I was (okay, so I'm not technically English, but I can wish, can't I?).

Observation of the day: While reading the reviews of my last chapter, I noticed something rather amusing. Here in the United States, we always say "Merry Christmas". But just about everywhere else, it's "Happy Christmas". Why? I think everywhere else got it right. We crazy Americans say happy everything else, such as birthday, New Year, anniversary, Fourth of July, etc. So why "merry" Christmas? :shrugs: It's just one of life's little mysteries, I guess. Well, anyway, on with the story.

Chapter 29: Becoming Mrs. Potter

The rest of my summer was spent splitting time between the Order, Auror training, and planning my wedding. James and I had decided we wanted to get married fairly soon, so we settled on a date in early November. November 6th, to be exact.

In August we attended Frank and Alice's wedding, which was the first magical wedding I had ever been to. To my surprise, it was hardly different than a Muggle wedding. They exchanged vows and rings, and it was all sealed with a kiss. Needless to say, I found it much more enjoyable than my sister's wedding. I even found myself misting up as Frank and Alice declared their undying love for each other.

Other than that, nothing too exciting happened for the rest of the summer in the Order or Auror training. Dumbledore became more frequently absent from the Order due to Hogwarts starting again on September 1st. It felt odd, not being at Hogwarts, but I knew I'd soon get used to it.

It wasn't until one day in mid-October, while planning the wedding with my friends, that a sudden thought occurred to me. I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom in the Potters' home with Tave, Alice, and Drusa, and we were paging through a flower catalogue. It was when I flipped to the white roses that, for some reason, the thought popped into my head.

"I wonder where James and I are going to live after we get married," I mused, more to myself than to anyone in the room.

"What?" Tave looked at me in surprise. "You mean you don't know where you're going to live?"

"Well, no," I admitted. "I suppose I've always just assumed we'd live in a house or a flat somewhere, but I've never actually talked to James about it."

Drusa giggled. "I bet you'll live right here with his parents on the floor below."

I threw a pillow at her. "That's not funny," I growled.

"Why don't you just ask James?" Alice said, quickly summoning the pillow so it wouldn't be lobbed right back in my direction.

"I should," I said thoughtfully. "As much as I love the Potters, I really don't want to live in their house much longer. I wonder where James is."

"You go look for him while we decide on your bouquet without you," Tave said, grinning mischievously.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think I trust you? You can look, but you sure as hell better not order anything while I'm gone." With one last warning look, I left to go find my fiancé.

I smiled to myself as I left the room, thinking of James as my fiancé. After three months of being engaged, I was still having a hard time believing I was getting married. To James Potter, no less. My mother still felt I was rather young to be getting married, but at least she wasn't so much opposed to it that she wouldn't help me plan my wedding. On the contrary, she wanted me to consult her before I set anything in stone.

I became immersed in my thoughts as I wandered the hallways, completely forgetting what I had set out to do. It wasn't until I almost literally ran into Sirius Black on the first floor that I remembered.

"It would do you well to watch where you're going," he said with a smirk, catching me before I ran into him.

I looked up at him, startled. "Oh! I'm sorry," I apologized. "I just became lost in my thoughts. Do you happen to know where James is? I need to discuss something with him."

"He was out on the Quidditch pitch with Remus the last I saw him," Sirius answered. "I was out there myself, but I got hungry. I'm heading to the kitchen to get something to eat."

I rolled my eyes. "Why am I not surprised," I said amusedly. "I swear, all you boys do is eat. Well, anyway, I really must go talk to James. See you later."

Sirius grinned. "How did a guy like James land a girl like you?" he asked in fake bewilderment. "I still can't believe you two are getting married in less than a month."

"Join the club," I laughed. "I never thought I'd date him, much less marry him."

"I never thought I'd ever have a civil conversation with you," he added. "But here we are, standing in James' house, chatting like old mates."

"That's Fate for you," I said with a wry smile.

"Yeah. It sure throws you for some huge loops sometimes. Well, you should go find your honey-bunny-boo. I'm going to go find my sandwich." Sirius passed me, giving me a friendly pat on the head as he went. He was right; Fate sure threw you for some huge loops sometime.

I went back upstairs, through the locker room, and out onto the Quidditch pitch. The October air was quite brisk, and as I watched James and Remus race each other down the length of the pitch, I remembered the first time I had ever been out here with James. It was the day I had realized I fancied him, almost a full year ago. My, how time flew.

I waved at the boys as they passed me, causing Remus to gain a full broom-length on James. A few moments later he had won. James, of course, blamed it all on me.

"I can't help it that my incredibly sexy girlfriend is distracting," he complained as they landed by me.

"That would be incredibly sexy fiancé," Remus corrected with a teasing grin.

"Don't let Tave hear you say that I'm incredibly sexy," I teased, putting my arms around James' neck. "She just might beat both you and me up for that."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I might just have to tell her that. I wouldn't mind having her beat me up. What she'll do to make up for it is well worth it. In fact, I think I'm going to go find her right now."

James and I laughed. "She's in my bedroom with Alice and Drusa," I said helpfully as he headed towards the locker room. He waved his thanks and went inside.

"So," James said, turning to me. "I thought you were busy trying to decide what flowers you wanted for our wedding. What's so important that you have to take a break from such a task that you would come and talk to me?"

I grinned, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. "Why do I have to have a reason to talk to the man I love?" I asked.

"Because I know you," he answered dryly, putting his harms around my waist and pulling me closer to him. "Once you get involved in something, it takes a bloody lot to pull you away."

"Touché," I said reproachfully, pulling back a bit to give him an incredibly pouty look. Then I spoke with a very aloof attitude. "Perhaps you don't want to talk to me at all, then? I see how it is."

"You're dead on. I don't want to talk to you. I suppose this whole engagement thing is a big mistake," he replied smoothly. I could tell he was fighting to keep a straight face.

"You're right," I answered, also fighting gallantly against a huge smile that threatened to break through. "It's best we call it off. I'll not be seeing you around." I turned and broke contact with him, but a split second later he had grabbed my wrist and spun me right back to him. He had finally broken his façade, and one look at his gorgeous smile was enough to make me weak in the knees.

"Oh no you don't," he murmured in my ear. "Don't think you can get rid of me so easily. I've fancied you for almost five years, and now that I've got you, there's no turning back."

"Oh really?" I asked demurely, snuggling up to him against a cold wind. For a moment I was glad I hadn't brought a jacket simply for an excuse to get close to him. Then I almost rolled my eyes at such a schoolgirl thought. I was going to marry him; I didn't need a reason to get close to him. I could get as close to him as I damn well wanted to. The thought made me laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

I explained my thought to him, which made him laugh. "But you know, James, I actually did have a reason to come talk to you."

"I knew it! Well, what would you like to talk about?"

"I was just wondering, where are we going to live after we get married?" I tilted my head up so that my chin rested on his chest.

He looked down at me and smiled slightly. "Don't you worry about that. I have everything worked out."

"That is what worries me," I sighed, giving him a playful look. "So you do have somewhere for us to go? We won't be living here anymore?"

"Merlin, no!" he replied, somewhat strongly. He shivered slightly. "I'm not living with my parents after I'm married. That would just be…weird. No, I have somewhere for us to go. I'm not going to tell you, though, because it's going to be a surprise."

"Hmm. I like surprises," I murmured, suddenly feeling very lazy. "Let's go inside, James. Tave, Drusa, and Alice were threatening to pick out my bouquet for me without my approval, and I should probably get back in there before they actually go through with their threat."

One might wonder why, exactly, I let the subject of our housing drop. A year ago I probably would have persisted the matter. Actually, I know I would have persisted the matter. But I had grown up in a year's time. To put it quite simply, I trusted James. It's funny, what a little love can do to a relationship. James said he had a place for us to live, and I trusted him. It was that simple.

0.0.0.0.0.

I woke up early on November 6th with what Alice dubbed "the-day-of-the-wedding-bride-jitters". It was about five o'clock in the morning, and I could be found pacing my bedroom, nervously twisting my engagement ring around my finger (it was an unconscious nervous habit I had developed, much like James' ruffling of his hair). I began wondering if my mother had been right when she said I was too young to get married. Again, I wouldn't say that I was having second thoughts. Yes, I wanted to marry James. I knew he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But I was only eighteen…

At that moment there was a knock on my door, and a moment later Alice entered.

"Hi. I hope you don't mind that I decided to drop by," she said, closing the door gently behind her.

"Of course not! But, Alice, how did you know I would be awake?" I shook my head at my friend's incredibly intuitive nature.

"Because I was a bride three months ago, and I know exactly what you're thinking," she replied simply. "I woke up at about three in the morning on the day of Frank's and my wedding. How long have you been awake?"

I glanced at the clock on my side table. It read 5:30. "Only about forty-five minutes," I answered. I sat down on my bed and motioned for her to join me. "So I suppose you've come to counsel me?"

"You better believe it," she laughed. "So tell me what's going on inside your head right now."

I sighed. "I love James with all my heart, Alice, I really do. I want to marry him, but is getting married right now the right thing to do? We're only eighteen years old and-"

"Lily, darling," she interrupted. "You just answered your own question."

I stared at her. "What?"

"You said you love him with all your heart and you want to marry him. Why wouldn't marrying him right now be the right thing to do? So what if you're only eighteen? So am I."

I hated the way she made everything seem so clear. "Yes, but what if James isn't the one for me? I'm eighteen years old, and marriage is permanent!"

"I think you're just looking for arguments," Alice said dryly, "and you know that one is complete crap. You and James are head over heels in love with each other. I've seen the way you two look at each other. You know he's the one for you."

I sighed. "You're right, as always. I think I'm just scared."

"And that's perfectly normal," Alice assured me with a warm smile. "I was scared out of my mind the morning of my wedding, but I went through with it. And you know what? That was the best decision of my life. You'll be completely miserable if you don't marry James today. Sure, you could wait a few years, but you know as well as I do that there's no guarantee any of us will be alive then."

I let a big breath out. "I really hate the way you always hit things right on the head," I said wryly.

"What are friends for?" she laughed. "So you're definitely going to get married today?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I am. Just think, Alice, at this time tomorrow I'm going to be Mrs. Potter."

"Forget about tomorrow, you're going to be Mrs. Potter in about six and a half hours," she replied, giving me a hug. "This is so exciting!"

I agreed wholeheartedly.

0.0.0.0.0.

The whole morning was one big whirlwind of activity. James and I had decided to go the safe route and have a completely Muggle wedding, considering most of my relatives attending had no idea of magic. We didn't really want to have to have the Ministry of Magic come and apply mass memory charms. There would, of course, be magical photographers, but no one would know the difference.

We were getting married in a church not too far away from my parents' home. As soon as I arrived, I was shunted into a room close to the sanctuary. Tave, Alice, Drusa, and my mother were also crammed in there to help me get into my dress. Luckily, they had all gotten ready before arriving. It wasn't a small room, but with five women in it, it was a rather right fit. I thanked Merlin that I hadn't decided on a huge dress. There definitely wouldn't have been enough room for us all to fit.

Getting into the dress was still quite an operation in the limited space that we had. It was strapless and there was a zipper in the back, so one would think that it wouldn't be that difficult. With six women crammed into the room, however, and with four of them already dressed very nicely, it was much harder than it should have been. But in the end we were successful, and that's all that matters.

Having my hair done was another issue, but this one was easily solved. With Drusa and Alice's hair expertise and a little magic, my hair was soon twisted and curled very beautifully. Drusa had the stroke of genius to twist some small white flowers (which I was certain were baby's breath) into my hair. My mother then added a veil that hung from my hair down my back. I hadn't originally even wanted a veil, but she had talked me into it. I still absolutely refused to have it over my face, but I had to admit that it looked very nice hanging down my back.

A little makeup was applied, and finally we all stepped back to admire our handiwork. Without meaning to be conceited, I have to say that I was beautiful. I knew I was going to knock James dead.

"Wow, Lily," Tave breathed. "Wow."

My mother's eyes were definitely moist as she spoke with a shaky voice. "You're absolutely gorgeous, darling."

Silence filled the room, and we all jumped at the knock on the door.

"The ceremony's starting in a few minutes," came Sirius' voice from the other side. "We need all the ladies besides Lily to get ready to walk down the aisle."

"We're coming," Alice called back, then gave me a hug. "We'll see you in the sanctuary, then, Lily."

With encouraging smiles, my friends left the room. My mother stayed behind for a moment.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm not upset that you're getting married," she said finally. "James is a very nice young man. I think I was originally upset because I've lost both of my daughters this year. It was hard enough letting Petunia get married, but I thought I'd have you for a few more years, at least."

"Oh, Mum," I said, pulling her into a hug. I felt my eyes tear up, but I willed myself not to cry. It would ruin my makeup. "You haven't lost Petunia and me, you know. Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I'm not going to see you anymore. I still love you."

My mum pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Yes, darling, I know that. I love you very much, and I want the very best for you. It's just incredibly hard for a mother to realize that her children have grown up. It seems like only yesterday I was holding your hand and helping you to walk or making you eat your vegetables. And now look at you. You're a gorgeous young woman getting married to the man that has stolen your heart."

A tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. "Don't worry about it, Mum. I know you just want to watch out for me."

Another knock sounded at the door, and this time it was my father telling my mother that she needed to be escorted down the aisle to her seat. She quickly dabbed at her eyes, and then left the room. My father entered and immediately gave me a hug.

"You're very beautiful, Lily," he said in an oddly strangled voice.

"Thank you," I said, still struggling not to cry. "I'm getting married, Dad."

He smiled at me, and I could have sworn I saw a tear in the corner of his eye. "Yes you are," he answered. "Do you think you're ready to go down that aisle and meet James?"

I wiped my eyes and straightened my dress. "Yes," I said decidedly. "Let's go."

My dad and I walked out of the room and got in the back of the line of the remaining wedding party still waiting to go in. Alice gave me a thumbs up and I smiled at her. Soon enough everyone else was inside and lined up near the front of the church. I took a deep breath as "The Wedding March" started up.

Everyone turned to look at me and stood up as my father began to escort me down the aisle. My heart began to beat madly as I surveyed the crowd. There were so many people…

I looked up the aisle and saw James. We locked eyes and he smiled encouragingly at me. I smiled back, and I suddenly knew that this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

We only broke eye contact when my father and I had reached James and the preacher asked, "Who gives this woman to be joined with this man by holy matrimony?"

"Her mother and I do," my father answered. He kissed my cheek, then removed my hand from his arm and placed it on James'. He sat down next to my mother, who was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, and then James and I moved up closer to the preacher. I snuck a look at Mrs. Potter and she, too, was dabbing her eyes.

The ceremony commenced, and the whole time I couldn't believe what I was doing. I was marrying James Potter. After this, there was no going back.

The preacher asked Sirius for the wedding rings. He handed James' to me and mine to James.

"Do you, James Potter, take Lily Evans to be your lawfully wedded wife, to honor and cherish for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" the preacher asked.

James looked me straight in the eye. "I do," he answered. I slid the ring onto the fourth finger of his left hand.

"And do you, Lily Evans, take James Potter to be your lawfully wedded husband, to honor and cherish for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" asked the preacher.

"I do," I answered, not breaking eye contact with James. He slipped my ring onto my fourth finger.

"Then by the power vested in me by God and the great country of England, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Cheers erupted and cameras flashed as James kissed me, and out of nowhere two white doves appeared. They soared through the sanctuary, and I gazed accusingly at Sirius. He shrugged innocently, but I saw him tuck his wand back into his pocket.

"May I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. James Potter."

The cheers grew even louder as James and I made our way out of the sanctuary. By this time both James' mother and my mother were sobbing full force into their handkerchiefs. James and I got into a limo that was going to take us to a nearby restaurant for the reception.

"Wow," I murmured, leaning against him as the limo took off. "Oh dear God, I can't believe I'm married!"

James grinned. "You are indeed married, Mrs. Potter."

I smiled back at him. "Lily Potter…I like it. I like James and Lily Potter even more."

"Good thing, too, because you're stuck being Lily Potter for the rest of your life," he said smartly.

"You know, I would smack you but I really don't have the energy to," I sighed. "But that's okay. I can wait. I have the rest of my life to spend with you."

"Damn straight," he replied, putting an arm around me. He then kissed me soundly on the lips. "I love you, Lily Potter," he said.

"I love you too, James Potter," I answered.

We finished our ride in silence, just reveling in the fact that we were now married. It's a big step, from dating to marriage. With dating there's always the slight doubt of being together tomorrow, but with marriage, there's the feeling of it being permanent. As I looked at him, so handsome in his tux, I knew our marriage would be permanent. We would be together forever.

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A/N: :sniff sniff: Aw, now they're married! Once again, I'm sorry if it seems rather abrupt, but I need to get things moving along here. I wanted to get this chapter up before Christmas, too. So Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all have an awesome Christmas, eat tons of food, and get lots of junk. And, while I'm at it, I'll wish everyone a Happy New Year, too. I hope 2005 will bring you guys great times and happy memories. Okay, I'm done being sappy now. :giggles: One uber-happy thing I just have to share before I quit this little note: on Wednesday, December 22, I got my driver's license! I've been putt-putting around in my little blue Neon since then, and it's so much fun! :parties: Thanks for bearing with me as I shared that tid-bit of information. :- )

Angry Girl: Thank you! I know, it's going to be terribly sad. But unfortunately, it has to be done.

taniita: lol I'm so glad it's Christmas break. I really needed a break from school. But of course, my English teacher (gah! die!) decided to assign a book report over break, so now I have to read Pride and Prejudice. :rolls eyes: I just don't know what part of "break" she doesn't understand. :sighs: Ah, well, I have a week and a half…

Smay: thank you! I will definitely try to read that story, and Merry Christmas to you.

James and Lily 4eva: thank you!

hazardous: She most certainly fell hard for him. It's funny how things sometimes work like that (in real life, I mean, not just fiction. :winks:). Very true, I wish we could all have such happy endings (minus the dying, of course). Oh, totally random comment, but when I saw your name I immediately thought of "Toxic" by Britany Spears. Sad, I know, but true.

PruePotter: lol, I'm sure you're an excellent writer. A lot of people just need a little push in the right direction, and to write about things they care about. I, for one, suck and writing poems. I'm just not a poem-y person. I suck at writing short stories about little girls in WWII era, because I couldn't care less. I feel that I do well with this story, though, because I love Harry Potter, and J/L is my favorite ship. And no worries about not having a point; half the time I don't either. :-)

milkywaypnay37: lol, that Alice! You could pretend to be Tave and then be maid of honor (I didn't put that in this chappie but I think it'll show up in the next). And thanks!

just-kim: nope, I don't believe you have reviewed. And thank you for doing so! I'm very glad that you like it!

nebulia: No problem, my pleasure.

Secretly Smiling: Yes, 9 days off is definitely better than none at all. Most public schools around here went through Wednesday. Ah, the joys of private school…lol. And thank you very much!

AnGeL-GiRl-XxX: thank you! You have a good Christmas as well!

Banana Princess: well thank you very much. I used to have chapters written before I typed them up, but I fell behind (around a month into it) and here I am. I've actually now found that I write better while on the computer. It's really weird. I think I have 2 other chapters written (besides the last one) but I don't know exactly what numbers they'll be. I know where in the timeline they lie, but it depends on when I get there. Last chapters are definitely a doozy to write, especially for L/J because it's already really sad. :sighs: Ah, even the best of us neglect our stories from time to time. :looks around and whistles innocently:

HulaHomer: wow, I'm flattered! I'm very glad you like the story. Keep reading and reviewing, please!

Crazayladay: Darn. You definitely have a point about Harry being fictional. :mutters curse words under her breath: My mom would flip out if I got married at 18 to a guy I'd been dating for 6 months. Actually, she'd flip if I got married at 18 period. But with my track record with boyfriends, she has nothing to worry about. :sighs:

LillyEvans13: thank you! I'll definitely try to get to yours. I've been so busy lately I've hardly had time to read fanfictions. :sighs: But I will try!

Niniel204: My life is wonderful! (see end of a/n…lol) I know, James is such a sweetie. I want to get married to a man just like him. Merry Christmas to you too!

miriel216: My school weights honors classes and AP classes differently. Regular classes are out of 4.0, honors are out of 4.5, and AP are out of 5.0. So if I take 3 honors classes, the highest GPA I can get is 4.2. This year, however, I'm in 4 honors classes, so my highest possible GPA is 4.3. It's rather confusing. :shrugs:

Looony Moony: lol, I most certainly forgive you. Don't punish yourself too badly, please! I know, Petunia can be quite a bitch. But deep down inside, I don't think she's that bad. Ah, I'm so glad you love James even more. He's my favorite. I also love Sirius. Remus rocks my socks too. Actually, I just love the Marauders (minus Peter, of course). You review was actually quite entertaining, in case you were wondering. Merry Christmas!

Katmarajade: :bows low: It's a pleasure to be of comedic service. I would love and engagement ring, but seeing as I'm only 16, I think I can wait a bit longer. But I definitely want a guy as awesome as Jamesie. And thank you very much. Transition chapters are beasts, to say the least. I must admit I get rather frustrated sometimes and am extremely tempted to throw large objects at my computer or chuck my pen across the room (depending on my mode of writing). I have yet to give into those temptations. :sigh: I was going to mention Vernon, and then I forgot to. lol, you described him perfectly! And thank you very much for the recommendation. It's a very good idea and a good way to keep the story realistic. Ah, I'm glad I won't be able to butcher it that bad. I have also seen some good attempts and would really like to stay out of that category. :shivers: I always love to get your reviews. I look forward to them because they have such substance. They're not just "hey, great story, update" (which I don't mind getting). I must admit, I'm also rather frightened of them sometimes. With such a good reviewer, there's the terror of a chapter being ripped to shreds. I know I've had ripped-to-shreds-worthy chapters. :looks around innocently: But anyway, after this rather long, drawn-out reply, I'll conclude it by wishing you a very Merry Christmas.