AN: Alright, happy Sunday, my friends! I know the entire world is in a bit of turmoil right now, and I hope this chapter is a bit of escapism for you, and a bright point in your day for those who are in quarantine. Remember to stay safe and to be responsible and kind!
I love you all and I wish you well!
The parade, in structure and appearance, was much the same as it normally was. It was nothing like it normally was however, because this time, James was seated next to her in the front of their horse drawn carriage. And everything she did with James felt entirely different.
Anita sat in the top row by herself, and Mary and Reggie had opted to watch the parade from inside a coffee shop on the parade route.
Lily wished that she could join them for a spell.
Because even with her fleece lined leggings, winter coat, scarf and mittens, she was still very cold. Maybe that was because she hadn't properly warmed up after the photoshoot, or perhaps it was because it was freezing outside. She kept scooting closer and closer to James, until she couldn't get any closer without getting on his lap. And that would definitely be frowned upon by at least half of the people watching the parade.
At least she wasn't chattering like she had been at the cliffs. And when James mentioned that she was cold to one of the guards that walked alongside the carriage, he went and fetched her a hot tea. Lily almost kissed him when he handed it to her. He'd even added sugar to it.
She took a sip and looked at James, "Did you tell him how I take my tea or does Moody just let everyone who works for him know in case I ever ask?"
"I feel like it would be romantic to tell you that I told him, but I didn't. I was actually hoping he'd get you a blanket when I told him you were cold."
"You didn't even ask him to get me tea?" She laughed and then turned to wave at the crowd.
"Sorry, love." He put his arm around her, drawing her back against him and resumed waving himself.
Lily didn't want to sound too proud, but she knew that for the most part, the people of Gryffindor had been excited to see her whenever she went out among them. However, they seemed a little more fevered at this parade and she had no doubt that it was because of James.
"They really like you," She said, turning back to look at his profile as he smiled at a group of school children. Judging by their uniforms they were from one of the schools that they had visited last week. They all yelled and jumped around as they waved back at them.
"Nah, they really like you. They like me by association."
Lily clicked her tongue and went to pinch his side before remembering that she couldn't pinch him through all his layers. She'd have to do it later. "That's absurd."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is. They liked you before-"
"They didn't know me before." James looked over at her. "They may have heard my name in the paper now and then, but they didn't know me. And if they did, it wasn't for anything good. Parliament likes me, the politicians like me, the highbrow citizens like me."
She bit her tongue and thought this over. She supposed he had a point there. Why would any of these people be keeping tabs on James before? Why would they be keeping tabs on any of the Lords in the country? He was right, most of these people had probably never heard of him before she chose him.
"We need to make the government more accessible to them." She said, looking out at the sea of people surrounding her. "The seats in parliament are supposed to represent the people of our country, but they don't. They represent the lords and their estates." Every time she remembered just how much there was to do, and that there was still so much more that she wasn't yet aware of, she felt her chest tighten and the urge to make a list.
James patted her arm and she took a sip of her tea. "That was one of the protests that my mum got arrested at."
Lily snorted, "Oh? I feel like I need to talk to your mum about some stuff."
"She'll like you." James grinned.
"Of course, she will, I'm amazing."
"You really are." She looked up at him with her lips pressed together.
"Stop trying to make me blush all the time, it's not going to work."
"I'm going to find the right way to go about it and then I'll be unstoppable."
"Ridiculous." Lily muttered, taking another sip of her tea.
"I've got all the time in the world," He was smirking, she just knew it, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of looking at him, so she just continued to wave to the crowd.
"Whatever you do, it's not going to work."
"Eventually it will."
"You might get me to blush again, but as soon as I feel like you have a pattern, I'll adjust and then I won't blush anymore."
She heard him 'harrumph' and she smiled more brightly than before. "Well then this will just be a fun little game that we play together from here on out."
"Okay, but I'd like you to acknowledge now that I am better at this game than you are."
"We've hardly started, what do you mean you're better already?"
"I can make you blush whenever I want!" She glanced over at him and then back at the crowd. "And so that means that I'm better at this game."
He was quiet for a moment and she had to look over at him again. "Alright, I'll concede for now. But only if you admit that I'm the better badminton player."
Lily narrowed her brow. "I will never say that."
James smirked. "I had a feeling you'd say that."
"Well you just told me to lie to your face, and I just promised you that I was going to be more honest with you this morning. I can't go back on my word." She rolled her eyes and then turned back toward the crowd.
James laughed and then pulled her closer to his side. "I like you, Lily." He said, his tone light.
Her chest exploded in warmth and she leaned against him. "I suppose you're alright."
"You like me too," He said, his voice just as light and just as sure and Lily bit the tip of her tongue. Then he pulled back and looked down at her. "Are you blushing?"
She scoffed. "No, James. I'm not blushing."
"I feel like I'm getting closer."
She shook her head. "Let's just go back to waving."
"I've been doing both this whole time."
"I want to pinch you." She muttered.
"What?" He laughed.
"I can't, because you have so many layers on and it wouldn't work, so I'm just going to tell you that I want to pinch you."
He laughed again, louder this time. He threw his head back and Lily watched him, his mirth contagious. She had to bite her lip to keep her own smile from getting too large. When he sat back upright, he had knocked some of his hair over his forehead and Lily reached up to fix it without thinking. She just pushed it back into place and he caught her hand before she drew it away. He brought it up to his mouth and pressed a quick kiss to the back of her hand before he released her.
She tilted her head and continued to look at him. "Was that for them?'
"No," He shook his head, not asking her who she was talking about. He knew she meant the crowd and the cameras. "No, I'm still trying to make you blush is all."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, with a little more honesty now."
And that almost did make her blush. Sitting beside him in the carriage, she didn't feel as though he was saying or doing any of these things because she was his only choice, or because they had agreed to be each other's only choices for the rest of their lives. She didn't feel as though he was making the best out of the situation they had been handed.
She just felt like he liked her.
Anita tapped her on the shoulder.
Lily started, having forgotten that her gran was behind them the entire time. "I'm glad that the two of you are having fun, but you both need to pay a little more attention to the people who came here to see you. You can tease one another as much as you'd like when we get home."
And now Lily's cheeks were red.
"How did you do that?" James asked Anita. And since she'd had been sitting right behind them, and since of course she had also noticed Lily's flush, she knew what James was talking about.
"Years of practice," She smirked, and Lily felt like rolling her eyes, but she refrained, and turned back to the crowds again.
The rest of the afternoon went off exactly how it was meant to, people came out and spent money at the local shops, they spoke with Lily and James, some of them asked for pictures, some of them brought newspaper pictures for them to sign. There were a lot of pictures from the greenhouse, and every time she went to sign one, Lily would look at James and he would smirk at her.
But now they were all back in the castle. Anita had retired early and that left the four of them in the dinning room to sit in front of a fireplace and argue over whether or not 'yeet' counted as a real word.
"I knew we shouldn't have played scrabble." Lily sighed, watching as Reggie explained to Mary that he didn't care if it was in the dictionary, it wasn't a real word. Mary was pulling it up on Merrium Webster's website.
"This has happened before?"
Lily gave him a look. "Does this not happen every single time you've played Scrabble?"
"Well, I haven't played since I was a child and my parents were very forgiving with whatever words I chose to spell. And however, I chose to spell them."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you were super spoiled, weren't you?"
"Well, that's not fair," He tilted his head.
"It's true, isn't it?"
He clicked his tongue, "I suppose that it is, but still. In this case, it's not fair. Couldn't they have just let me get away with it because they love me?"
Lily snorted, "No, they let you cheat. How did you get to be so competitive if your parents let you win at everything?"
"They didn't let me win at everything-"
"But did they?"
He was quiet. "I think it was Sirius who brought out my more competitive nature."
"See, that I believe."
Mary was shoving her phone screen in Reggie's face and he was finally conceding, as Lily had known that he would.
"Fine," He repeated. "Take your twenty-two points and let's just get on with it."
"I will, thank you!" James laughed and then leaned forward to lay down a word of his own. 'Advocate.'
Then it was Lily's turn and she sighed as she put down the three tiles it took to spell, 'fork.' Mary snorted.
"I knew you were going to do that."
"It's Good Place lingo for 'fuck', of course I'm going to laugh about it."
"I'm also going to laugh, but because you only got eight points for that." Reggie chuckled.
"Maybe I should stick to slang words like your girlfriend. That would get me more points."
"It is just as hard to make slang words as it is to make other words." Mary raised her brows and started rearranging her tiles as Reggie put down his tiles.
"As long as you spell them right," James nodded.
"I looked it up in the dictionary, James. Do you want me to fight you too?" James laughed and shook his head.
"No, of course not." He looked at Lily, but Mary still saw his exasperated smile and she tried to kick him in the shin, but she was too short to do so from where she sat. "Oi! I was on your side when you laid down the word, why are you trying to kick me?"
"Because you're acting all conspiratorial and I don't like it," She narrowed her brow and Lily shook her head and sighed.
"Mary, you can't fight everyone," She said as though this was a conversation that they had to have every ten minutes. "You are too small and too weak-"
"I'm not weak!"
"Lift anything at all," Lily challenged.
"Well that's hardly fair," Mary scoffed, "My spirit is strong."
"No one is arguing against that." Reggie chimed in. "I think the main point of this conversation is to say that you shouldn't kick people in the shins, Mary-Anne."
"That's not even my name."
"Mary-Elizabeth." She rolled her eyes.
"Reginald Fitzwilliam," She had her arms crossed over her chest now. "Don't make me kick you in the shin."
"Fitzwilliam?" James asked, brows raised. "Are you a lord of something?"
Lily snorted. "Nah, his mum's just a Pride and Prejudice fan. Which is fantastic, and I think it's a shame that Fitzwilliam isn't his first name." She grinned at him. "We could call you Fitz."
He sighed. "My mum didn't do me many favors in the name department, but not naming me Fitzwilliam has be a point in her favor. I mean, my last name is already Cattermole. She could have at least tried to counterbalance that."
"You'll just have to take my name," Mary shrugged. "Because I don't want your name."
"MacDonald isn't that much better," He tried to argue. "I mean how many times have you complained about getting sung at? Old MacDonald had a farm-"
"It's still better than Cattermole."
"Ms. Mary Mac?"
Lily shook her head and leaned back on the couch, her arm brushing James.
"Does she know it's her turn again?"
"Probably not." Lily grinned. "They have this conversation frequently. I've offered up CatterDonald or MacMole, the latter of which is my preference, but they don't like either."
"MacMole is a good one." He shifted so that his arm was resting on the back of the sofa, technically around her shoulders, but not touching. She bit the tip of her tongue and then leaned closer so that she was shuffled up next to him, tucked under his arm. He quickly moved his arm from the couch to her shoulders. "Potvans? Evotter?"
"They're both brilliant." Lily grinned. "That's what happens when you don't have shite last names."
"Oh bugger off," Mary snapped. "You could have just as easily have gotten stuck with Petunia's last name if your mum hadn't fallen in love with some Prince from a far off land. Woodcock."
"Yes, but my father was a Prince from a far off land and so I'm not, nor have I ever been, a Woodcock."
"Dursley is not much better."
"Yes, alright, but she's not here so we're not making fun of her." Lily slid her tongue over her molars and looked down at her knees.
"I can't believe she's not coming to your wedding," Reggie said, sitting up straight and then slouching over to pretend as though he hadn't been waiting for an opportunity to bring it up. He was good at that kind of stuff. Feigning nonchalance for important conversations. You knew it was fake, but it still made you feel comfortable enough to talk.
Except she wasn't just talking to him. James and Mary were also there, and they were all looking at her and she'd already had this conversation with her Gran while she'd been making the peach pie for James.
"Yes, you can," She said, looking up at Reggie and then glancing at Mary. "Petunia and I aren't really close anymore. Haven't been for a long time, so of course you can believe it." He kept looking at her, waiting for her to say more. And then James started rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "It is what it is. I'm fine." She almost shrugged off his arm and leaned forward, but she just bit her tongue and let it be. She didn't need to start pushing him away again. Not after everything else that had happened today.
"Okay, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't bother you, or that you're as fine with it as you're pretending to be." Mary crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head forward.
"I'd rather she wanted to be there, of course, but I can't change her mind and she wants to go on Holiday. The holiday she's had planned longer than I've known that I would be getting married at the end of the month." It wasn't that big of a deal. "Mum's still coming and she's bringing David with her, so at least there's that. Mary, it's your turn," Lily nodded at the game board and then refused to look at anyone.
"They'll be here for the coronation," James chimed in as Mary started moving around her tiles to find a word. "I wonder how much bigger Dudley will be."
Bless him.
Lily smiled up at him, "I couldn't believe how big he was when they were here! He's walking and talking- a bit anyway. And he's so cute, I just wanted to eat his little cheeks," She pressed one of her hands against her chest and shook her head. She'd changed her phone screen to a picture of her and Dudley that they'd taken right before they left to go home. They were cheek to cheek, and he was smiling wide, all of his teeth showing and his cheek red from the cold.
"He was really cute," Mary allowed, laying down the word floss. Not technically a slang word, but the look that accompanied the word and Reggie rolling his eyes made it clear that she'd meant for it to be a slang word.
oOo
It was much later now. Lily was in bed, her eyes bleary and her phone resting on her chest. She felt mostly relaxed, but still a little anxious. She'd been at least a little anxious all month though, hadn't she? She kept thinking that things would calm down at the end of the month, after the wedding, when they went off for their honeymoon and had a break from the cameras and the crowds and the expectations. But when they came back, they would be days away from Lily's coronation and then she would be queen and she didn't think she'd be able to fully relax until she had given her crown to her successor.
But she couldn't think about that either, because her successor would be her direct decedent and she hadn't even kissed James yet, she didn't really want to think about having children with him.
She took a deep breath and pulled out her phone, needing to distract herself before she got sucked into a spiral.
She tapped her nails on the back of her case for a moment and then pulled up her messages with James.
Lily: Thanks for jumping in early. About my sister.
James Potter: No problem I could tell that you didn't want to talk about it
She stared at his name for a moment. It looked too formal.
Lily: Yeah, they knew that too, but they're assholes sometimes. I mean, it makes sense that she can't come. It sucks, but it makes sense.
Lily: They're not really assholes, I know they just want to make sure I'm okay.
Lily: I want to get along with my sister again. I don't think Mary understands that.
James: she's family, and it seemed like she was trying when she was here
Lily: Exactly! I want to know my nephew; I want to see my mum and sister more than just once a year.
James was better, but it wasn't perfect yet.
Lily: Switching gears entirely now, what is your moniker for me?
James: my moniker? you're so fancy and i don't even use punctuation
James: Her Royal Highness Princess Lillian Jane Evans
Lily: Really?
James: no of course not
Lily: What is it then?
James: What is your moniker for me
Lily: That's what I'm trying to decide. Don't make this difficult.
James: you're 'the misses'
Lily bit her tongue and closed her eyes for a moment.
Lily: How long have I been 'the misses'
James: i'm not going to offer up information that you'll then use to humiliate me
Lily: Since I gave you my number then?
James: no, otherwise the random person I texted first would have been given the moniker
James: he still texts me sometimes. He's a farmer in whales and his goat just had triplets
James: don't worry i asked for pics already
Lily: three texts in a row aren't going to distract me from this
James: how many would?
Lily: Jaaaaames
James: remember how you were mad at me this morning
James: do you want to talk about that again?
Lily: You know what I like about this? I can tell you're blushing right now.
James: you can't prove anything
James: just tell me how you're reacting
James: are you freaking out again
Lily: I don't freak out about everything!
James: okay but that wasn't an answer
Lily: I'm not freaking out. I thought it was sweet.
James: oh. good
James: you're harder to read over text
James: all your punctuation and whatnot
Lily: I text normally, thank you.
Lily: Also you were no help so I'm going to bed.
James: I'm plenty helpful
James: and you need the rest because I'm going to kick your arse come Sunday
Lily: Goddamit James, I'm going to win! I can't possibly lose three times in a row!
Lily: Also that's days away. You're just being mean now.
James: at least your past the point where you can't admit that you lost
James: goodnight princess
Lily: :P
Lily: Goodnight, dear
She closed out of their messages and then opened his contact information. She clicked on his name and chewed on the inside of her cheek. 'The mister' didn't have the same connotation or softness that 'the misses' held. It also made her cringe.
With her heart fluttering and her head feeling too light, she realized that despite the way that she'd met James, despite the fact that they'd agreed to an arranged marriage, she was sitting in bed, grinning at her phone like a lovesick tosspot. She had thought that she wouldn't get this feeling in her chest when James first came to the castle, she thought that she'd said goodbye to crushes and butterflies and blushing over word choices.
She closed her eyes and let herself relive that strange moment that they'd had in the dining hall earlier that day. She'd freaked out then, that's why he'd asked how she was reacting about her name being 'the misses.' He didn't want to push her too far. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
But she'd reached out and touched him so easily, ran her fingers over his jaw, she'd been frozen in that moment with him. Not sure what would come next, not sure if it would be just as easy to lean forward a bit, replace her fingertips with her lips. She was pretty sure that she had wanted to kiss him in the moment, before the tension had built up to the point where it had been unbearable, and she'd run out of the room. Before she'd looked at him and seen the heat in his eyes, before she realized that once again, she was the one that was lagging behind, the one that was holding things up.
She'd liked him looking at her like that, his eyes warm and focused, looking at her like she was all he needed just then.
How had she been looking at him? Had there been just as much heat in her eyes? Is that why he'd made the comment about doing something other than talking?
Thinking about him saying that now made her blood run a bit hot and she let herself picture what might have happened in the dinning room had she taken him up on his offer. She let her mind wander as she drifted off to sleep, thinking about how it would have felt to have his lips somewhere other than her palm or her temple or the back of her hand. She imagined running her fingers through his hair for reasons that were teasing in an entirely different sense than the first time she'd mused it.
She felt asleep thinking of the heat in his eyes as he'd looked at her.
And that heat followed her into her dreams.
