Chapter 16: Superstar
There was an instant flicker of terror to it all.
Going from seeing no one but James and Fletcher for days to cameras flashing in Lily's face every time she stepped outside was draining. She was back to worrying about her hair, her face and her clothes. People she hadn't spoken to in months texted her to ask her how she was, assuming she was better now that she was back in the spotlight. On the streets, people were screaming her name, from the moment she stepped off the plane. The whole experience was something of a bombshell to Lily because she realized she didn't want to be that person anymore.
She wanted a simple life again where she made music because she loved it, not because she was expected to do it. Lily wanted to go to the grocery store to get ice cream without eight hundred articles being published about it that next day. It sent her mind reeling with the realization that she had to now find a way to be both a singer and a normal girl in her twenties just trying to live life.
She slept like shit without James, even being back in her childhood bedroom didn't ease her anxiety. The windows were things she avoided again. When she woke up to the sun breaking through the dark curtains, she wished she was still in Lake Placid among the snow drifts. Downstairs, she ducked away from open windows and made breakfast with a hoodie covering her face. Her dad spotted her sitting on the ground in the kitchen, stirring her tea with a spoon.
"Press still hasn't left?" he walked into the room and Lily shook her head.
"I don't know what they're all waiting for," she complained, "it's like I'm a fucking animal in a zoo and I hate it."
Her dad groaned as he sat down cross-legged next to her, leaning against the old kitchen cabinets. Even though the Cokesworth home had once been a safe space for Lily to be in, now Lily was now too famous. Nowhere was safe if everyone knew about it. She sipped her tea, staring at the yellowing tiles below her bare feet.
"Do-do you want to leave?" her father's voice was strangled, like the very thought broke his heart, "I'm sure we can get you a place with more coverage."
Lily sighed and leaned her head against the cabinet before swaying her head side to side, "I just wish they'd leave me alone."
Her father roped his arm around her shoulders and Lily tucked her head into his grasp, "have you heard from Peter yet?"
Lily shook her head again, "No."
"Well," her father was tentative, "when did he say he'd be in town?"
"Not until my Radio One interview," Lily said, "and he scheduled it for the same day as Pet's wedding so I'm trying to get it changed."
"That's not going to work," her dad said, "can you change it?"
"That's his job, isn't it?" Lily sipped her tea again, resentfully this time.
"Yeah," her dad sighed, "but I bet if you call, they'll do anything you ask."
Lily snuggled into her father's grasp more, "wish they could do it this afternoon, so I have a reason to get out of Cokesworth."
Her dad dejectedly drew back, "you and your sister are two peas in a pod, sometimes."
"Excuse me?"
Lily was shocked by his comment. Lily and Petunia were two very different girls. Polar opposites, most of the time. Petunia was prickly, pointed and snooty. Lily liked to believe that she was soft, flexible and welcoming. As if knowing he'd offended Lily, her father got off the kitchen floor, using the countertop for support.
"Both of you only ever wanted to get out of Cokesworth," he explained, cracking his back, "as if this little town was nothing."
"Don't tell me you like Cokeswroth." Lily narrowed her eyes at her dad, "the only reason we moved here as kids was because you had to take a job at that canning factory down the road so Pet and I could go to school at Prudence Prep."
"And it was a good job," he said, getting some cups down from the cabinets, "it put food on the table and got you that guitar for your seventh birthday."
"Yeah," Lily agreed, "I'm thankful for you raising us here and for giving us whatever you could, despite the finances being tight…I just didn't think you loved Cokesworth so much."
"Cokesworth is simple and I am always happy here." Her father put two sugars in his cup, "But you aren't happy here."
Lily kept her lips firmly shut. Her father continued.
"You don't want to someday own this house, or raise your kids here, or even remain nearby when you're done being Lily Evans." He stirred his drink with a small spoon, "even after all these years jumping from city to city, Superstar, you still only want to sing to crowds of 59,000 and you can't do that here in Cokesworth."
"No." Lily shrugged, "but maybe I don't want to sing sold out stadiums anymore."
"Is that so?" Stephan Evans looked down at his daughter with a knowing expression, "Thinking of settling down like your sister?"
Lily snorted mirthlessly, "I don't want to play housewife, dad. I just want to live in a small town like…like Lake Placid?"
He stopped stirring his drink, "Lake Placid?"
Lily brushed her hair from her eyes and noted, "you don't sound very enthused by that."
"You asked me to sell that cabin." Her dad pointed out, "right after—right after your mum died."
Lily chewed her lip, knowing he was right, "Things changed."
"What changed?" he asked warily.
"Everything."
She drew her knees to her chest.
Her father put down a spoon, the noise echoing through the kitchen as if he'd dropped it on the linoleum floor. His voice was thick with grief when he spoke again.
"It didn't hurt going back there?"
The pain flashed across his face was an echo of her own pain. She remembered the pain that shattered her after the first morning back in the cabin, when she'd found Christmas decorations still placed and poised for use. She remembered all the memories that hurt as she dragged James around the house. She remembered James asking her if she wanted to leave but Lily had told him no because amongst all the pain…was a sort of warm bliss that would never go away.
"It hurt like Hell." She finally responded, her fingers tracing the edge of her cup.
"Then why go back?" he sounded puzzled and she couldn't blame him.
Lily uncrossed her legs and stood up. She placed her tea on the counter and put her hand over top of his. She looked her father eye-to-eye, seeing the time that had passed in his face. He was grayer now and had a lot more wrinkles than he'd started with.
"It's the only place I felt was left untouched by my fame."
"Not Cokesworth?" he asked, "not the house you were raised in?"
"No."
She watched her father plug in the toaster before he continued, "were you all alone up there?"
Lily busied herself making them both toast for breakfast, "no."
"Sirius?" her father guessed.
Lily cleared her throat before saying, "just my bodyguards and I."
Almost on cue, Fletcher walked into the kitchen, yawning. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before and had a mustard stain on his shirt. Lily frowned as he helped himself to orange juice from the cooler. He only mumbled a hello to them both after he drank the whole glass.
"Where's Potter?" Fletcher asked Lily gruffly, "he ought to be here now."
"We supposed to go work out again with Annie," Lily glanced at her wristwatch, "so he should be here soon."
Her dad choked on his tea, "working out?" he blinked furiously at her, "you?"
Lily pinched her dad's arm humorously, "don't sound so surprised."
Suddenly, Lily's phone started ringing in her pocket. The vibrations were nothing like the phantom feelings she'd been feeling since she'd tried to get ahold of Peter. Her father buttered their toast while she took the call.
"Sirius?"
"Hey Lil," Sirius sounded fatigued, "I was flying back to Los Angeles from Australia. What's going on?"
Lily crossed her arms over her chest, "so, one of Peter's interns called me two days ago and said that Peter fired her."
"What?"
"Because Marauders Records is downsizing?"
"Downsizing?" she could practically hear the disbelief in Sirius' voice, "why would they be downsizing? Peter told me all our contracts are being resubmitted and signed in December. The meeting's already been set up."
Lily pushed her hair back from her face as she disclosed, "I don't know, but Peter's not answering my phone calls right now."
"I'll try to get ahold of him," Sirius appeased, "but if he hasn't answered you then someone died, or something bad has happened, because he'd go against the world for you."
"Do you think he's hurt?" Lily felt bad for not even considering Peter was possibly injured, "I can call his old intern back…"
"I'll be in New York in a few days," Sirius reasoned, "I'll check his flat but I'm sure he's just busy or something."
"Or something." Lily echoed, feeling cold seep into her bones.
Sirius was walking through the crowded Los Angeles streets, she could hear the honking of cars in the background, "give my love to the family for me."
"I will," she hopped foot to foot, "I'll let you know when I hear from Peter."
"Likewise," Sirius vowed, "let's plan a lunch date when you get back to New York! I want to talk about demos!"
"Sounds like fun."
Lily hung up feeling defeated, if only because she'd been hoping Sirius was actually Peter calling to ease her worries. She tried not to bother Peter, she always felt back when she did, after all she wasn't his only client. Still, she considered Peter family and she knew he wouldn't do anything to harm her.
It still wasn't fair that he fired his interns though. They were hardworking people and if he was trying to budget, she'd take the money out of her own accounts to make sure Samantha and her friends kept their positions. Lily didn't need the money and she wanted to help Samantha. Lily liked the bubbly and spirited intern as much as she liked her own girlfriends.
Lily ended up calling Radio One after James arrived to take her to Annie's gym. The gym was an hour away, so it gave her time to be connected with the programming and marketing departments. They were eager to please and set up for a recording that afternoon at their downtown studios. Lily even got them to pull together some of her old bandmates last minute, something she'd thought might be impossible. By the time she hung up, she felt like she'd conquered the world.
Beside her in the car, James was rubbing his knees, clearly awkward next to Frank. They were both talking about the Radio One afternoon. Frank determined immediately that he'd be Lily's primary guard that day and James was just another body for protection. James didn't seem to like that order, but he was back with Frank, which meant Frank called the shots.
Lily bit her tongue so she didn't get involved, she knew it would only upset them both.
Frank stood off near the door at Annie's gym, thankfully, giving Lily and James a bit more contact time. James helped her with her push-ups while Annie and he talked. Lily and Annie's relationship was nothing if fluid, the young gym owner being positive aura amongst the panic. Annie had the same special talent of making people forget their troubles that James had. It didn't surprise Lily that Annie and James were so close, especially when Annie pulled out her phone and started flickering through photographs while James did a set of pull ups.
"This is from the first week of physical therapy." Annie fell to the ground by Lily's feet and passed Lily her iPhone, "you should see the progress he's made!"
Lily had no idea she was about to see a picture of James before healing and so she almost dropped the cell phone as a result. Annie leaned into Lily's space and moved her figures over the screen to zoom in on James' form. He was using what appeared to be two ballet poles as his support. Both his legs bent in opposite directions and his hospital gown hung off his limp body. It was absolutely gut wrenching to see the man she loved so much…so broken.
"Holy shit." Was all Lily could say as Annie flipped ahead in the folder.
The next photograph appeared to be a few weeks later, based on the curls appearing on James' once shaved head. He was laughing whenever Annie took the photo. Lily could hear his laugh, almost as if the photograph were a video. He was still using poles to stand in the photograph but even Lily could see the difference between the two photos. At least, the difference in his face.
"It took me three months," Annie said, "to get him to build up his strength and confidence."
Lily flicked across to the next photo, finding James grinning stupidly at the camera. He had a protein shake in one hand and his other hand was holding onto a crutch that he leaned into. His curls were sticking right up, instead of flopping over his forehead. Lily preferred its current length, but she couldn't deny James looked good even with short curls. Annie came in closer, smiling when she saw what photograph Lily was looking at.
"That's the day I knew he was going to be okay." Annie lowered her voice, "for a while there, I was worried he'd never break out of the depression."
"He's the bravest man I've ever met." Lily said affectionately, passing Annie her phone back, "I don't know what I did to deserve meeting him but I'm thankful we did meet."
"He came in, the day after Manchester." Annie's eyes momentarily dropped as she recalled, "I've never seen him run so hard and be so concerned about…a stranger…before."
Lily twisted her hair on her finger as she gazed James' direction, "I didn't know what to make of him back then," she admitted to Annie, "but I truly owe him my life and care deeply for him now."
"He might not show it," Annie chuckled, tucking her phone back into her pocket, "but he cares about you too."
Lily feigned innocence, "I hope so."
"When he doesn't know what to say, he can come off as standoffish." Annie didn't know that Lily already knew that, "but he's just trying to prove he's okay."
"He's stubborn."
Annie laughed and nodded, "he used to come in and tell all my clients in my veteran classes that if he could run, they could walk."
"Yeah," Lily tittered, "it kills me how much better at running he is than me with one less foot."
"Hey," Annie winked at Lily, "you move back to England, Evans, and I'll have you running circles around James in no time."
"I'd love to kick his ass in something." Lily professed, "knock down his ego."
"Are you two talking about me behind my back?" James called from his post, sweat shining from his forehead.
"No!" the girls said simultaneously, sending each other private grins when James rolled his eyes.
Back at the house in Cokesworth, after being at Annie's gym for over two hours, Lily found herself itching to write songs again. She was disappointed she wouldn't have time since she had to go do the BBC Radio One interview. She stared forlornly at her guitar in the corner of the sitting room while she did her own make up. She had so much she was feeling and so much she wanted to say.
Lily shook in her heels when she walked into the Radio One studios for her interview. It would've been much easier; had she already not been anxious. It just didn't help that she hadn't heard from Peter and Sirius had made her feel guilty for not worrying that something might be wrong with Peter. Peter had always done his best to keep Lily in the loop but maybe her fame was becoming too much for the both of them.
Lily entered the interview room at BBC Radio One with only moments to spare. Frank practically tread on Lily's heels through the door. He was looking rather irked after he had to elbow back some paparazzi back at the front door. Lily was feeling like a thousand ants were crawling on her skin where some random guy grabbed her arm on her way in. If Frank noticed her displeasure, he didn't draw attention to it.
James would've…
Lily glanced back as the door closed behind James when he followed Lily's entourage into the large business building. He was wearing jeans and a grey vest that was embroidered with Moody's security logo. She already missed him wearing something other than his uniform. She already wished he was standing at her side whenever she so asked, just so that she could grab his hand for support when she was scared.
Lily had a feeling if she grabbed Frank's hand, he'd have a conniption and here was no way in Hell she was touching Fletcher's hand.
Lily met the smiling face of the interviewer when they swept into a large studio filled with pianos, guitars and other various instruments. The interviewer was a tall woman with dark eyes named Clara, someone Lily had heard of but never met until that day. Everyone said Clara was nice and fair, so Lily forced her smile onto her face. Carla kissed her cheek when Lily held her hands out for a hug. Lily pulled back from Clara with her face as fake as it could come. When she caught a glimpse on James in the window, she saw his brow knit together with worry over her.
Not wanting to upset James further, Lily attempted to be a little more believable. She stood upright and straightened her dress. She projected happiness and enlighten, despite being nervous and anxious on the inside. The only thing she couldn't change were the way her hands shook so Lily clasped them together.
"So nice to meet you." Lily told Clara benevolently, "thank you for offering to do the interview today so that I'd be available all day for my sister's wedding on the 13th!"
"My pleasure," Clara took Lily's hand and led her over to a couple of benches, "this will be fun!"
"Of course." Lily pressed down her red dress with her fingertips as she sat down on one of the sofas by a fake window that simply looked at a brick wall, "I'm so excited to be here."
"I'm so happy you called." Clara said honestly, "we had a cancellation, so I thought I was about to be stuck doing computer work the rest of the day!"
"Well, then I'm happy I could fill in the spot."
Lily was handed a mic as camera people set up around them. Frank was talking into an earpiece by the door and Lily couldn't help but wish James had been the one to come inside with her, but he was outside the recording room with Fletcher instead. She licked her painted lips and settled down farther into her seat, trying to feign her confidence. Clara directed Lily on some of the questions ahead of time, giving Lily something to focus on besides her frazzled brain. By the time cameras and mics were on, Lily was just ready to get out of the studio.
"Good morning and welcome to Radio One, Live Lounge." Clara's voice was smooth, like the perfect tea, and that helped relax Lily some, "our guest today has come all the way from New York to participate in Live Lounge month and is a very big deal here in London, please welcome home, Lily Evans!"
Lily took her cue without missing a beat, "hello Clara, hello Radio One, it's so nice to be back in London after so much time away! I've missed London!"
"Tell me, Lily, what do you love most about London?"
"Everything is all together and there's no sense of brokenness in the busy streets," Lily said gracefully, without pause, "it just feels like home."
"But you love New York as well?" Clara said, waggling her eyebrows, "you've spent quite a bit of time there lately."
"I do love New York," Lily agreed, tilting her head, "but not the city, I love upstate."
"Upstate New York?"
"Yes, especially around this time of year! I went hiking last weekend and the leaves are gorgeous! Reds! Golds! Gah, there's just something so tragical and magical about the way that the leaves nurture color, just to lose it all."
"How poetic." Clara mused, "Do you like hiking now, as a hobby?"
Lily gave a tiny bit of a laugh, "I've been told I'm not very athletic, but I'm trying."
"Everyone's seen your performance at the little outdoor restaurant in New York by now," Clara leaned closer to Lily, stars in her eyes, "the one you did for the fan. In that video, you said you were blissfully happy. Is there any particular reason for that?"
Lily's mouth opened to say his name, but she promptly shut it.
James.
James Potter was the reason for her utter bliss, but she couldn't tell anyone for fear of losing him.
"My life and the people in it," Lily finally whirred cryptically, "Hollywood can simultaneously be lonely and yet, filled with people all at once. Recently, I think the lesson I learned most is that you shouldn't care so much if you feel misunderstood by a lot of people who don't know you, as long as you feel understood by the people who do know you."
"What about the song you sang, the new one?" Clara asked her, "does it have a name?"
"Yes," Lily fingered the edges of her mic, "I've written several new songs and I cannot wait to share them with the world once my new record deal goes through with Marauders Records."
She left Peter a tidbit, there was no way he wasn't listening in to make sure she was okay. Even if he was too busy to answer her texts, he always kept up with her interviews. Clara looked dissatisfied with Lily's answer.
"Does that mean you won't be sharing any new music today?"
Lily shook her head softly, "I do plan on singing a new song for you today."
Clara waggled her eyebrows at the camera, "Is that so?"
"Yes, my friend Benji wrote the song for Piper, the new Disney Princess movie I've been working on since summer. I asked him for the chance to make it my own." She explained, "so I brought my own version of the song to share with everyone and hopefully, encourage people to go see it when it hits theatres in December."
"How exciting!" Clara actually sounded thrilled at the thought, "and what was it like, becoming a Disney Princess?"
"Unbelievable!" Lily said truthfully, "Every little girl grows up dreaming of becoming a Princess and Piper is certainly near and dear to my heart now. I just want everyone to love her as much as I do! She's brave, clever and so very kind. I just love her character so much, especially since she's a redhead!"
Clara touched Lily's shoulder kindly, "we cannot wait to see you at the premier in a few weeks!"
"I can't wait either," Lily tucked her hair behind her ear, hoping Clara couldn't see right through the lie.
The interview moved on to clothing styles, song lyrics and favorite foods. Clara surprised Lily with two new cat stickers for her phone case, something Lily's fans had used to do before shows. When the interview was over, Lily thanked Clara generously before the cameras and mics shut off.
Clara left and the band entered, including Lily's old back-up singers from the Roses tour. Lily almost burst into tears when they walked through the door into the studio, running to hug each of them tenderly. All four ladies had been with Lily for years and Lily really couldn't imagine singing on tour without them. In this case, they were only so happy to help her with two of her songs.
Lily sang Starlight first, for her grandfather. She rocked and rolled with the sounds, her lips brushing against the mic as she sang. The pop mellow tune was the perfect start to her four-song stint at Radio One, getting Lily into the groove as she melted away from Starlight and into the dark undertones of Roses. Her singers backed her up where Lily's guitar couldn't, and someone was playing the piano softly in the corner according to Lily's arrangement. Benji's beautiful song Memories of Yesterday was last, and Lily sang it alone on the piano. The chords gave way to a haunting description of Piper's pain and suffering while under toning hope and happiness that Piper longed for.
It was the perfect song for Lily to end with.
She ended to clapping from both her peers and the people behind the studio windows. James was all the way in the back, looking at her through the crowd, always the only thing she cared about. Lily bowed as she left the piano before meeting Frank at the door. Frank was talking on his phone, the Radio One producers continued fluffing her ego as they walked her out. James and Fletcher fell to Lily's side while she walked out onto the London streets.
Her fans were there waiting, waiting just to catch a glimpse of her. The moment Lily left the warm studio, her name was being repeated by hundreds of voices all at once. Lily glanced back at James and he nodded, already knowing what she was asking for. Lily tore her gaze away from her lover before skipping over to the barricades holding her fans in. James, Frank and Fletcher kept her safe as she moved to take as many selfies as possible with her fans. They were all stretching their hands out to touch her, to know her.
None of them would ever know her the way James did, but they still loved her despite it all.
Eventually, Frank forced Lily to leave, telling her that she had a commitment quarter after three in another part of London. Lily took one more selfie before passing the phone back as she was ushered to her waiting car. Fletcher slid in next to Lily. James slid in across from Lily and when their knees brushed, she sent him a pining look that sent a curved smile onto his face.
Once the car began moving, Lily pulled out her phone again to see if she had any missed calls from Peter. Again, she was disappointed by his lack of explanation for the firing of Samantha and his other interns.
She dialed Peter's number for the fifth time that day, "Hey Peter, it's Lily. I'm just calling again to ask about my friend Samantha. I'll be available all afternoon, I just have a dress fitting for Pet's wedding but that's it. I hope you're still coming to her wedding. Please call me back when you can."
Lily hung up, decidedly thwarted. James looked up from his side of the car.
"Anything?" James already knew the answer, he could read the disappointment in her face.
"Nothing." She admitted, sighing and sliding against the car seat dramatically, "he's normally really bad about answering his phone, so maybe I should just stop panicking?"
James looked like he wanted to say something more, but his eyes were trained on Fletcher. Lily knew James didn't like Fletcher and honestly, the feeling seemed to be mutual from Fletcher. Lily had to wait for the car to park and for Fletcher to get out before James would speak again.
"I've never trusted Peter, Lily."
"He's never led me astray before." Lily defended her manager, "he's always put my career goals first."
"Yeah." James said, but he didn't sound very convinced.
Lily got out of the car, finding herself in front of a bridal boutique with a crooked sign. Her sister was standing out front looking at her cell phone. Petunia's blond hair was wrapped elegantly against her neck and she wore a flowery dress that looked right out of a housewife's magazine. Lily called her sister's name and Petunia looked up. With the dreary clouds above darkening her fair complexion, Petunia had never before looked more like Rose Evans and Lily felt a ripple of jealousy in her stomach.
Lily was already embarrassed by the crash and burn that was bound to come with an Evans' Sister Reunion, so she sent Frank and Fletcher to the burger joint two blocks down. She asked Frank to get her the biggest burger they had. James looked like he'd much rather join the boys at the burger joint. Lily wasn't about to let him go. He had to see this side to her family before he decided he wanted to keep her around.
Petunia wasn't easy to love.
Petunia put her phone in her pocketbook when Lily placed her hands on her sister's shoulders to kiss her cheek, "hi, Pet."
Petunia waited for Lily to pull back before she spoke, "you look ill."
Lily's frown fluttered and behind her, James coughed into his sleeve, "nice to see you too Pet."
Petunia was unconcerned by Lily's exasperation, "you'll be washed out by the pink color and they'll have to take the dress in."
"I don't have to be a bridesmaid," Lily said again, "I told you that I didn't care."
Petunia gave a scathing laugh, "as if dad would ever let me kick you out of my wedding party."
Lily shifted on her heels, "he is the one who forced you to add me."
"Sisterly love." Petunia looked Lily up and down, "please tell me you aren't still living off Ramen noodles as a primary food source?"
"Erm…"
"She is." James' voice spoke up behind Lily, delight in his tone.
"Thanks James." Lily shot James a hurried glare before addressing her sister, "pay no attention to my bodyguard Petunia, he's forgotten his contract which requires him to keep his opinions to himself."
Petunia's eyes traveled behind Lily's shoulder and her eyes grew skeptical. Lily didn't know how much Petunia kept up with Lily's personal life, but she knew Petunia knew exactly who James was. Petunia looked him up and down from the tips of his black shoes to the top of his curly hair. Her lips thinned as she grabbed Lily's wrist to drag her inside the store. Lily was flabbergasted her sister kept her mouth shut.
Normally, Petunia made her opinions well noted and expressed. James, on the other hand, was brave enough to tease Lily while he held the door for her. James pushed against Lily's shoulder.
Lily brushed his shoulder and she rolled her eyes when she heard James say softly into her passing ear, "fuck the contract."
Lily shot James the bird behind her back as she was pulled by Petunia to the front desk for check in. Lily heard James chuckling as he shut the door behind Fletcher. The woman at the front desk was starry eyed as she led Lily to the dressing room (which Fletcher had checked for cameras). Lily changed into a pastel pink and puffy cupcake dress that would be perfect for curvy girls. Lily was still underweight, even she knew that, and as such the dress was limp on her.
When Lily exited the room wearing the pastel dress Petunia even looked disenchanted by the form. Petunia put her face in her hands and groaned. The seamstress came out and clucked her tongue as she pinned the dress in spots where it was too bulky.
The seamstress complained as she took the dress in around Lily's thighs, "I knew girls like you don't eat, but I've got two inches on the seam already."
"She's fine." Petunia snapped irritably at the seamstress who looked less shocked than Lily about Petunia's protective tone, "can you bring it on or not?"
"The wedding is in four days," the seamstress fingered the dress carefully, "and the fabric is not easy to work with."
"It's ok," Lily said, "I'll just drop out of the bridal party."
"Yeah," Petunia barked at Lily next, "and then dad chews me out for your decision? I don't think so."
"Petunia, dad won't care—"
"You're barmy if you think he won't care." Petunia cut Lily off, "I'll never hear the end of it if I leave his precious Superstar out of my wedding."
Lily bit her tongue to keep back the words she wanted to say. Petunia's scathing words had stung like acid. James' eyes were fluttering back and forth between Lily and Petunia. Lily could tell James wasn't sure what to make of their pointed and rocky relationship. Lily caught James' expression and she knew he was startled by Petunia's behavior. Lily didn't really feel bad for him, she'd warned him a long time ago that her sister was a lot.
"What do you want me to do?" the seamstress asked Petunia, "we have a few dresses close in color to this one on the racks. They're in a sample size, which would fit her better than the size you gave me four weeks ago."
"Put her in one that matches closely then." Petunia waved her hand out, "I won't have my sister looking like a giant bursting boil and ruining my photos."
"Oh yes," Lily muttered cynically as she stripped down on her way back into the dressing room, "can't be ruining Perfect Pet's wedding photographs."
"God Lily, you're so self centered."
"And you're being stupid." Lily unzipped her dress, "we both don't want me in your wedding, so just drop me."
Petunia glared at Lily, "I never said I didn't want you in my wedding."
"You implied." Lily said gruffly.
"Only because you implied." Petunia shot back.
They were never good at communicating.
Lily's mum used to say that both of them arguing was like talking to a brick wall.
Lily tried on five dresses until Petunia settled on a putrid pink dress that fell to the floor and wrapped at the waist. It wasn't ugly like the first, but it certainly wasn't flattering either. Lily thought she looked like a short flamingo in the dress and momentarily wished Petunia had let one of Lily's friends design the dresses. Lily also couldn't blame her sister for wanting to have a perfectly average wedding.
Lily waited for the dress to be paid for. Lily was paying for part of Petunia's wedding, dresses included, as a gift to the bride and groom. That had been Lily's father's idea since Petunia was so hard to shop for. Lily checked her phone again while she waited for the cashier to finish with her credit card. James spotted Lily checking and asked a question without saying anything. Lily shook her head softly at James to answer.
They stared at each other, Lily perplexed and James sympathetic. Their solitude was interrupted by the arrival of Frank Longbottom, who was carrying lunch for Lily. Lily plucked her phone into her dress pocket and cheered when she saw the burgers in his hands. The cashier ringing up Lily's purchases laughed at her excitement. James did too.
Lily applauded, taking one of the burgers and unwrapping it, taking a giant bite before moaning, "ughh fhis if fo good."
The seamstress saw and muttered to herself in her strong Russian accent, "well if she eats like that...you think she might fit into dress better."
"She's fine, thanks." James retorted, seemingly having had enough about the comments on Lily's body for one afternoon, "finish ringing up the dress, so she can leave."
The seamstress looked fuming at James' moody quip. Lily sent James a small smile over her burger, even more in love with him with each passing moment. James nodded slightly at her, showing Lily that he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Frank unpredictably snickered as he passed the other burger to James. Lily would've expected Frank to ask James to tone it down, but Frank looked unsurprised by James' defensive attitude.
"Eat your burger, Potter."
"Cheers mate." James said, taking a bite of his own burger before turning his attention back to a rugby game on the common room TV, "Germany's winning."
"Thank god." Frank said, falling into the chair beside James, "I'd hate to go home and find Alice mourning over Germany if they lost."
Lily swallowed another piece of burger, "how is Alice?"
"Just getting over her morning sickness," Frank said, "she wants to come back to work."
"Does that mean Dung's getting reassigned?" James asked optimistically.
"Dung's staying put," Frank said, "Moody thinks he's doing a better job."
"If this is a better job," James said, "I'd hate to know what his worst job was."
Frank chuckled and elbowed James, making James grin and elbow his mate back. Lily smiled watching James with Frank. While she'd seen James around Sirius a lot, James around Frank was almost an insight to the James before the bomb. Frank had known James when they were kids and that brought out a whole different, joking, side to him. Sometimes she saw his playful side when they were alone, but it was nice to see it with someone else that wasn't her.
"Where is Fletcher?" Lily asked, surprised he hadn't returned to the store with Frank after she sent them for burgers, "off for a drag?"
Frank shook his head no, "for once in his life, Fletcher actually had a great idea."
"What's that?" James asked doubtfully, "to take a shower?"
Frank snorted, "no, to lead the press on a wild goose chase."
"What?" Lily perked up, "What do you mean?"
Frank peeled the pickle from his burger and passed it to James insentiently, "I can't tell you what he's doing, only that it should work."
Lily fixed her brows together, "am I in trouble?"
"On the contrary, we think his plan will lead the press away from Cokesworth," Frank explained, "and therefore away from you."
"A decoy?" Lily guessed.
Frank pulled James aside and whispered something into his ear. James' eyebrows flew into his hairline. Lily, hating being left out of the fun, chewed her burger loudly. Both boys ignored her glaring gaze. Petunia was talking to the seamstress still, oblivious to anything that didn't concern her wedding.
When Frank pulled away, James shook his head, "damn, I didn't think Fletcher was that smart."
"He has a few bright ideas every once in a blue moon."
"We'll see if it even works." James sounded doubtful, "we'd have to go to Antarctica at this point."
"Give Fletcher some credit."
"Maybe if he'd give me some." James muttered, eyes glancing over at Lily gloomily.
Lily gave James a half a smile, knowing he was thinking about Fletcher interrupting them at the cabin. Lily's shoulders lowered and she was fraught with the realization that it had been twenty-four hours since she'd last kissed James. That was twenty-four hours too long. James noticed her eyes traveling and a steady flush rose up his neck. Luckily, Frank missed James' emotional turn, his eyes on the television as Germany scored again.
Lily turned away from the men to find Petunia looking at her peculiarly. Whatever she was thinking, she didn't say anything else to Lily when the pair separated to their respective cars. Lily promised her sister that she'd see her at the wedding. Lily didn't want to go to the rehearsal dinner since it was at a public restaurant and she didn't want to take away from Petunia's big night. At least the wedding was held at a private garden, which meant it was a place the paparazzi couldn't find them.
Once back at the small Cokesworth house, Lily sat in her kitchen while her Granda cooked sausages on the stove. James, Frank and her father talked about the rugby game from that afternoon. Most of the paparazzi had cleared out but Rita Skeeter stayed parked in front of the house, as bold as ever. Lily tried not to worry about Skeeter or anyone else.
She was actually laughing quite loudly when Frank and James started arm wrestling on the kitchen table. The curtains were closed, and she had a small sense of privacy. James and Frank had snuck Lily into the house through a window in the back, meaning no one actually knew where she was. Fletchers plan, whatever it had been, seemed to be working.
Lily was trying to relax, despite the feeling of impending doom from her anxiety. She sat on the edge of the table, cheering unashamedly for James. Frank was protesting her clear favoritism.
"I've known you for longer!" Frank barked at her, "I should be your favorite!"
"Your wife is my favorite!" Lily shouted back over James' own boisterous laughter.
"She's my favorite too!" Frank's normally dull eyes were bright with color when he spoke about Alice, "but James…he's a toss-up!"
"Hey!"
The boys were acting like teenagers. They were all eating sausages with their hands. Lily had one arm thrown around James' shoulders as she cheered him on during the next round of arm wrestling. James shot her a gleeful grin as the atmosphere in the house only grew warmer and more comfortable. Lily's dad opened a bottle of champagne and the radio was playing smooth jazz. Lily was pulling out ice cream from the freezer when Alice walked into the house fresh-faced and rosy.
"I heard someone was letting my husband have fun without me!" Alice announced her presence with a loud and booming voice.
Lily called out animatedly and dropped the package of vanilla ice cream like it was a hot potato. Alice was wearing her uniform, a gun strapped to her hip. She was so early on in her pregnancy that she had no bump, just a smile filled with emotions and love. Despite being a bit prissy when it came to her job and professionalism, Alice was kind and earnest when Lily hugged her tightly.
"Alice, you're back!"
Alice actually relaxed in Lily's arms, "you're suffocating me and the baby, Evans!"
"I've missed you!" Lily loosened her hold only a bit, "You left me to fend for myself with the boys!"
Alice pulled back from Lily, "don't go getting dramatic, Evans, we all know you like James the best."
Lily flushed, trying to protest, but only to be ignored by Alice as she swept into her husband's arms. Frank kissed his wife on the lips when she settled next to him at the table. Lily watched them show affection and her heart lurched, wishing she could be as casual with James. When she looked up, she spotted James looking at her with a similar dejected expression.
Lily played a game of cards with her family and friends, taking her mind of the Marauders Records drama when she could. James and her grandfather were working together to try and force Lily to lose her game. James kicked Lily under the table when she cursed his future children and she shot him a daring look over her cards.
It was after midnight when Alice relieved James from his duties, but James didn't leave. Instead, he settled into a conversation over tea with Lily's father. They were acting like old mates and when Lily's Granda joined them with a bottle of scotch, James let her Granda pour him a glass. He fit in so well with her family and she just wanted them all to know how much she wanted that night…to be every night…for the rest of her life.
Granda, who never once went out of his way to invite people fishing with him, adored James and invited James to go fishing with him the next time that James got a day off. Lily sat back, floored at her granda's offer. Frank, who still hadn't left, overheard Lily's granda. Frank then dictated that James take the next day off. In fact, he insisted it when James tried to protest. James was unable to argue or win with Frank, despite the panic on Lily's face. She realized Frank was still trying to keep James from Lily, even if he wouldn't say it outright.
"He really doesn't trust us together." Lily muttered to James about Frank in the hallway that night before he went off to his hotel room, "did he spot us, do you think?"
"No," James had his jacket on, and the edges of the coat almost touched his ears, "he would've dragged me to Hell and back again."
Lily leaned against the hallway, looking up into James' eyes tenderly, "I don't know how much longer I can keep this charade that we're just professionals and friends."
"I feel the same way, Red." The back of James' hand came to rest on her cheek, "the last day has been torture."
She leaned into his touch, "I love you."
"I love you more." He said, "and everything's going to be okay."
He gave her a brief kiss on her forehead before making his way back downstairs. Lily stayed in her spot, holding herself, as she listened to James say his goodbyes. She heard Frank walk him out. Lily changed into joggers and a sweater before meandering around the house. She already knew it was pointless to try and sleep without James. He wasn't sleeping either, he kept texting her little notes all night.
Lily sat in the sitting room alone for a while, until her father found her nursing an almost cold up of tea. He paused in the light of the hallway, seemingly startled at finding Lily sitting alone in the dark.
"Why are you awake at this hour?" Lily asked her dad when he turned on the sitting room light.
"it's almost five, Lil." He sat down next to her and she leaned into his warmth, "did you ever even go to sleep?"
Lily hugged her cup closer, "I don't sleep much…right now."
"Granda, James and I are going fishing." He said, "would you like to come?"
Lily shook her head at her father, "You know I don't fish."
Her dad smiled, "I know, but lately…"
He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts. Lily waited for him to continue but he didn't. Lily pushed at his buttons, sending her dad a messy stare over her mug of tea.
"Lately?"
Her dad flinched at her prompt, "Lately, you seem to gravitate to wherever James Potter is."
She almost dropped her mug, "what?"
"Petunia called, after your dress fitting. Apparently, you couldn't take your eyes off him."
Lily muttered a lot of words, into a great mess, at her father. He looked over his glasses at her perceptively. Lily wished he hadn't turned on the lights because he saw right through her red flush. She wished James were there, but he was a town away inside an old hotel room, not sleeping, just like her.
Lily's father touched her nose, "am I wrong to assume?"
Lily looked around, nervous, "are Frank and Alice down here?"
Her dad pulled a face, "they were working out of the computer room upstairs."
Lily chewed her lip, waiting to hear one of them come down the stairs. When she heard nothing but Juniper purring in a chair nearby, Lily dropped her guard. Her dad was watching her, clearly alarmed.
"I don't want it to be secret." She whispered to her father, keeping her voice low, "it's just the way it has to be right now."
"Why?"
"Dad," Lily faltered, "if anyone found out how I care about James—it'd be over before it's even begun."
Her dad's eyes were expressive, "we both know it's already started, Superstar."
Lily put down her mug rather viciously, "we're both still trying to figure out how it's going to work so just—don't say anything to him."
"What are you so scared of?"
Lily's jaw set as she thought of James' smile, "I don't want to lose him."
"Oh, baby girl."
Lily pulled out of her dads grasp, shaking her head, "I don't know what I'm doing anymore, Dad."
His lips were thin as he forced her back into his grasp, "that's the secret of life, Superstar, no one knows what they're doing."
Lily sat in her father's arms, watching for the first flicker of daylight to emerge from the curtains. James was back quarter after five with bagels and cream cheese for everyone. He looked closely at Lily while she ate her bagel but the space between them stayed professional. When James left with her family, she found herself picking up the guitar and writing a new song.
She was halfway through the bridge when Frank appeared, wearing a pair of black sunglasses inside. Lily let her fingers fall from the strings. Frank looked around the room weirdly, like he was expecting someone to be with her.
"Something wrong Frank?" Lily asked her bodyguard politely.
"I thought you were talking to someone." Frank said, "sorry for interrupting your writing."
Lily waved his concern away, "I'm just fiddling with ideas."
Frank nodded before leaning against the doorway, "I'm on my way to brief security at your sister's wedding venue, want to join me?"
"I'm fine alone," she promised, actually meaning it for once, "just lock the door when you leave."
"Of course, Evans."
Lily waited for the front door to close and lock behind Frank before she continued writing her new song. She fingers the chords delicately, imagining James' cheeky smile as she let lyrics fall from her lips.
You've got one hand on my heart, the other on my thigh.
Baby, I need you and that's not a lie.
I'll fall right in, I'm yours to trace.
You'll start by memorizing my face.
Your fingerprints taunt me
My cheeks are red.
In my dreams I'm singing your name as we fall into bed.
I'm softly tracing every flawed curve and I can't believe Cupid had the nerve.
I'm struck by his arrow, straight through the heart.
I go wild when you touch me like I'm fine art.
Our hands intertwine as you start the dance.
Darling I'm coming undone; I'm lost in a trance.
Granda Evans came back from the fishing trip singing praises for James' skill at fly fishing. Lily looked up from her guitar when the boys walked in together. Once again, Lily was struck by how perfect James looked amongst her family. Plus, it was clear fishing had gone so well, that her Granda was about to marry James himself.
James looked windswept and handsome in his borrowed fishing weights. They had five fish to fry up in beer batter and James was already looking up more recipes on his phone. Lily reckoned she wanted it to always be so simple, her James and her family, together. She could no longer see a part of her world where James did not exist perfectly.
When James looked up to find Lily watching him, James snuck a wink in her direction. Lily saw the worry on her dad's face when he saw James wink at Lily. She wondered if she should explain the situation more to her father but the fear of someone overhearing her pull him aside was too great. All it would take was for Alice, Frank or Fletcher to hear the truth come from her own lips and then James would be fired or worse, reassigned.
All Lily knew, was that she didn't want to live without James.
"Harold," James said rowdily as he fried a fish in a pan, "you caught the biggest fish I've ever seen!"
"Had to keep up with your first catch, didn't I?" Granda Evans was beaming at James' praises despite his rough tone, "yer a regular old Scotsman, Potter!"
"I grew up in the moors," James explained, "until I was in school, that is. Mum and dad wanted me to get quality education, you see."
Lily put her hand on her chin, and she watched James affectionately as he flipped the fish in the pan with a single wrist flick, "if only you'd kept the accent."
James beamed her way, happy she was including herself, and started switching his voice over to a sharp Scottish tone. They all laughed at James' impression of Lily's Granda. James always had a way of making everyone feel extraordinary, like they were his only concern. He did it with Lily and now he was making her Granda look ages younger as they fried up some fish for everyone.
Lily sat at the kitchen table, working on her laptop, still waiting for Peter to call. Lily's dad went to the store to pick up some fresh asparagus to pair with dinner. James fell into the chair beside her while they had half a second.
"How was fishing?" she asked when her Granda started singing along to the jazz on the radio again.
"Hilarious."
"Why?"
"Let's just say I know where you get your stubbornness from." James pinched her leg under the table, "and your wit."
"Are you saying I'm witty and stubborn?"
"Tragically so," he winked.
She almost kissed him in front of her Granda. They heard the front door beep, alerting James and Lily to a person entering the house. James leaned away from Lily and pretended to clean his glasses. Lily crossed her leg and messed with the mouse, so it looked like she was busy on her laptop. Mundungus Fletcher walked into the house carrying a beer in one hand and a burger in the other.
"Potter?" Fletcher blinked guardedly at James, "did you take over for Frank?"
"No, I technically took the day off," James stood up, "just got back from fishing with Lily's family."
Fletcher looked between Lily and James before he frowned, "where's Frank?"
James scratched his head, "that's actually a really good question, I haven't seen him since I got back."
For once, Lily had the answers, "He went ahead to the wedding venue."
"Why?" James asked, "is something wrong?"
"He just wanted to make sure that security there had been briefed," Lily clicked on an e-mail and saw it was from Mary, sending dress updates for the Piper premiere, "he ought to be back soon."
No sooner had she said something, Frank Longbottom walked through the front door with Stephan Evans, both of them talking in short, polite quips far different from the booming laughter that Granda had been exhibiting with James. James saluted Frank when he walked through the door and beamed at Lily's father like it had been ages. James busied himself as a cook while Frank briefed Lily about the venue.
"It's large enough that you'll be hard to get photographs of, but small enough that I don't think we'll need extra bodies," Frank showed Lily and James pictures on his phone, "security there already has the list of potential stalkers, as well as the names of every guest allowed to enter the party. Lucky for us, your sister was very particular about who was getting through those gates."
Lily nodded wearily, already dreading the big day. Sure, Petunia was only having a small wedding, but nothing was stopping her wedding guests from selling pictures to the press. There was nothing stopping anyone from once again leaking the private portions of her life for everyone to see. Lily was about to ask Frank about James being her main guard at the wedding when her phone rang out, loud and clear.
The name listed on her screen, made Lily squeal a sigh of relief.
"It's Peter!" the relief in her voice was evident when she answered the phone, "hello?"
"Lily!" Peter's voice was warm, welcoming and affectionate, "sorry I missed your calls! I lost my phone on my cruise! You should've e-mailed me!"
Lily twirled her hair with one finger, "Peter, what's this about Marauders Records downsizing?"
"Lily," Peter soothed her instantly, as if sensing her fear, "there's nothing for you to be worried about—"
"But Samantha—"
"Was only an intern." Peter reminded her, "I'm giving them all an extra month pay and excellent recommendations. Don't worry about them."
"But she was so excited to be interning for you." Lily said, "why'd you tell her you were downsizing?"
The room around Lily was quiet, everyone knowing exactly who she was talking too. The feel in the room was receptive, surprisingly. Lily knew James wanted answers and there was no doubt her father had been worried too. They both waited with bated breath for her to finish.
"Lily, sometimes in business we have to make hard choices." Peter said calmly, "I didn't have any more work for my interns, so I had to let them go, instead of waste their time."
Lily frowned, "I really liked Samantha, Peter, can't we at least keep her? I know she worked hard."
"No Lily." Peter said firmly, "just let me run the business side, okay? I promise everything will work out for Samantha, she's a clever girl."
"More than clever."
"Yes well," Peter sounded like he'd spotted something more interesting on the other end of his phone, "I'm also afraid I have to tell you that I won't be making it to your sister's wedding. I sent her a lovely bouquet to say sorry."
Lily slumped against her chair, "you're missing Pet's wedding?"
"I have a very important meeting," Peter said, "it cannot be overlooked, I'm sorry."
Lily knew she shouldn't have been upset with Peter. After all, he was a successful manager for Marauders Records, and he had plenty of other clients. It made sense he was busy. That didn't make his rejection to an Evans family event hurt any less. Since starting out, Peter had always been there for birthdays, funerals and important awards. Lily had come to expect him at family events, including her sister's wedding.
"We'll miss you," she managed to say, keeping her voice level.
"We can all get together in January, for your birthday." Peter promised, "maybe we can all go to Lake Placid."
"Ok." But her voice felt very small, "bye, Peter."
"Bye Lil." Peter said chirpily, "hope you're ready for Piper press!"
Lily hung up her phone and found that all eyes in the kitchen had fallen on her, "that was Peter."
"Yeah," James said, "we got that, Red."
"What did he say?" Lily's father asked, "about the downsizing?"
"It was only an excuse." Lily said sourly, "he says the business is fine."
"That company lives off you, Superstar." Lily's father reminded her, "Peter would be jumping off the deep end if he didn't include you in something as big as a downsizing."
"What about the interns?" James asked, looking irate, "they're out of a job now."
"He said he's paying them and giving them benefits for the next month." Lily reiterated what Peter told her, "he told me not to worry."
"Then we shouldn't worry," her father could see the tears rimming her eyes, "right?"
"Right."
But even Lily couldn't totally convince herself that it would be okay.
She settled into helping her family with wedding preparations the next few days. The paparazzi had finally caught on that Lily never left Cokesworth, so they were back to camping out on the front lawn. Lily took to wearing large hoodies inside to cover her face when she passed the window. James, Frank, Alice and Dung all worked tirelessly to give her some peace of mind. Still, by the time the wedding rolled around, they were all eager to get out of the cramped house.
The night before the wedding, James scheduled dinner with Minerva McGonagall. Lily purchased a hotel room near the restaurant, so that she wouldn't have to travel far. The paparazzi hadn't caught on that she'd left the old Cokesworth house, so Frank and Alice were tasked to protect the house while Dung and James were tasked with protecting Lily. The hotel was welcoming, giving Lily the best room with views of the city and placing Dung and James in the room next to hers. It was almost relaxing as she settled into a bath before dinner, her feet hanging from the tub as she checked up on her fans on Instagram.
Not much was happening in the Evans fandom, everyone was so focused on her sister's wedding. Lily's fans wanted to know what she was wearing, if her hair would be up or down and (most importantly) if James would be there. Once again, her feed was inundated by fans making edits using pictures of Lily and James together from the last six months. They all loved him so much and they didn't even know him. Still, their welcoming aura was important to Lily.
Lily changed three different times, wondering if James had been as nervous as she was when he first met her family. Her stomach was in knots as she curled her hair and painted her lips with a bright red stain. Minerva was James' closest thing to family left and she really, really wanted the older lady to like her. Minerva had been acting as Lily's therapist for a few months now and Lily was worried the woman wouldn't think Lily was good enough for James.
Lily changed into a black dress last second, panicking that she wasn't formal enough. She checked her reflection three times. She powdered her nose twice on her way out the door. James and Dung were waiting for her in the hallway, both of them dressed in black suits. Lily caught of glimpse of their reflections on their way down the elevator and thought they looked like something out of a movie. The boys flanked her protectively, both of them resting their hands on their tasers as the elevator lift opened up.
No one knew Lily was downtown yet and that was a saving grace as they made their way out of the hotel and onto the rainy streets. The restaurant was quaint, and Lily walked there in her black heels, her eyes tracing the bodies for a kind older woman. When she made it to the outdoor patio a woman waved from a small table by the bar. The woman was tall and wore her greying brown hair in a twist at her neck. She almost looked like a lawyer in her suit jacket but the wrinkles around her eyes displayed a sort of warmness no lawyer could ever imitate.
"Minerva!" James called cheerfully from behind Lily.
Lily's stomach was in knots again as she stepped hesitantly towards the tall woman with wrinkled eyes. James pushed eagerly past Lily to hug Minerva tightly. Minerva laughed in his arms, her arms looking like twigs around his body as she hugged him back. Lily chewed her lip as she watched Minerva look James up and down eagerly, punching his arm playfully as they reconnected. When Minerva let go of James to finally lay her eyes on Lily, it was like the world had stopped spinning.
Never before, had Lily sought approval so much. Lily stepped forward carefully, her green eyes taking in Minerva's stern mouth and sparkling aura. James looked back and forth between Lily and his mentor like a puppy, excitement radiating from his every pore. Lily stuck her hand out to Minerva McGonagall.
"I'm Lily," she said, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Oh, come here!"
Minerva, for all her looks, pulled Lily into a strong grip. Lily felt herself relax in Minerva's arms. James looked like Christmas had come early as his favorite women in the world came together. Dung just looked bored as they settled around the table Minerva had picked out. He ordered a beer while James, Lily and Minerva caught up like old friends.
She was so caught up in the warm aura of Minerva, who knew everything, that it was especially hard not to each over and brush James' curl from his eyes as he talked about fishing with her Granda. Lily noticed more than once that James' hands inched towards hers and it was awful to be so close to him, yet so far away.
Minerva bought them all dinner, looking so content as the night continued. The lights around the bar had them dashed in a dazzling haze that sent flutters to Lily's toes as she told Minerva about Carmen in New York. James was laughing loudly over his cider as he argued rugby polls with Minerva while they all ate. Dung stayed surprisingly unobtrusive, seeming to understand that Minerva was a friend both to James and Lily.
At the end of the night, Minerva hugged Lily twice outside of her hotel room. The last time Minerva hugged Lily; she drew her lips to Lily's ear.
"I've never seen James so happy," Minerva sat back and brushed Lily's hair from her eyes, "you two are perfect for each other."
"Thank you." Lily beamed, tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks as Minerva planted a quick kiss to Lily's cheek, "that means everything to me."
"When you get back to England," Minerva said, "I'd love to have you both at my place for tea, as my friends, of course."
"That sounds lovely." And Lily really meant every word.
Dung took Lily inside; James was going to spend his night off with his only family. Lily watched him walk down the street, Minerva on his arm like she was his flesh and blood. Lily wished she could go with them, to feel a part of their family, but she had to keep on pretending that James wasn't hers to keep close at night.
As Lily drifted off to sleep that night, her phone dinged, and she picked it up expecting Sirius, to find it was a text from James.
James Potter:I can't wait to spend absolutely all day with you tomorrow
Lily curled her toes and she wrote back: What about poor Dung? He's going to start think you're playing favorites.
James Potter: I am playing favorites. You're my favorite. My favorite everything.
Lily wished he were right next door so she could pull him into her arms and kiss him: did you have a nice evening with Minerva?
James Potter: she's currently snoring on the sofa beside me
Lily imagined the old woman snoring in a knit cap and smiled: I love her even more than I thought I would
James Potter: she thinks very highly of you, Red
Lily typed back quickly: And she loves you, James.
James Potter: She'll never be able to replace my parents but…she's as much a mentor as she is a mother to me…I just want to make her proud.
Lily remembered how adamant he was about making his family proud: you've already made her proud, babe.
James Potter: I love you.
He sent her thirteen red emoji hearts and she laughed as she sent him thirteen bitmoji's of her just throwing hearts at his bitmoji. Their game continued until Lily fell asleep, her phone still clasped in her hand and the screen illuminating her face like a spotlight. When Lily woke up the next morning, she found that the last text James sent her were actually lyrics from one of her own songs.
James Potter: you sing me to sleep every night from the radio, so dim that spotlight, tell me things like I can't take my eyes off of you…I'm just desperately in love with you…
She was happy, blissfully happy, again. James wasn't even in the same room as her, but he still made her heart pound and cheeks turn red. He had a magical way of making her feel like she was both unique and yet one hundred percent normal. James had brought a balance to her life that she didn't even know she'd needed.
Lily texted him as she sluggishly woke up: morning's here again, and I can't help but wish I could see your face xoxo
James Potter: all you want is on the other side of the door…
And he was right, because when she flung open the hotel room door, he was standing there with a box from a bakery, a dozen red roses and two travel mugs. He wore the goofiest grin and she felt herself grinning too. They were young, they were in love and they were going to make it together. She just knew that at this point, not even a contract could stop James from being hers.
Next time on Chapter 17: Treacherous
"I'll have to get the recipe to those," he said casually as she licked cinnamon and sugar from her fingers, "I haven't seen you eat anything so passionately since ramen noodles."
"Har har." She said before picking up a champagne glass, "dinner isn't for another two hours and I'm famished from all the wedding drama."
Dung came over, already carrying a beer, "you two as bored as I am?"
"On the contrary Dung," James said, "I'm not bored because I'm doing my job."
"We ain't got to worry here." Dung waved James' comment away, "The gardens have their security lined up at every entrance."