At Lily's insistence, her wedding dress was white, despite Cait's protests that white was far too plain a colour. After much persuading on Cait's part, they reached a compromise, and so the white was embellished with detailed embroidery in silver thread.

Once the dressmaker had finished, Cait and Lily both gazed in the mirror, speechless.

"Thank you," Lily finally managed to stammer out.

The dressmaker eyed her creation critically. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer a different colour? A green, or a grey, or a blue…?"

She raised her wand, but Lily shook her head.

"I love it."

It certainly wasn't the sort of dress Lily had envisioned getting married in. When Petunia had gotten engaged to Vernon earlier in the summer, she had pored over countless magazines of women in all sorts of dresses, and after she'd finished with them, Lily hadn't been able to resist looking through them as well. A wedding had seemed very far off only weeks ago, but Lily still couldn't help imagining what she might wear someday.

She was in the 1700s, so her expectations for the dress had been low. She knew that it wouldn't be anything close to what she had imagined, but then again, neither was this wedding. It was still surreal to think that she was marrying James Potter, and if she thought about it too much, she knew she would panic. This was the man who had once bullied her friend, someone she'd had no respect for during many of the years she had known him. She had only just admitted that she had feelings for him, and now she was committing her life to him. But only until they made it back to 1978, Lily reminded herself. This wasn't a life commitment, only a temporary trial.

She turned her attention back to the dress, to the graceful lace sleeves, the swooping neckline, the detail on the bodice. It was so beautiful that wearing it filled her with excitement, in spite of herself, and she was almost sad to take it off.

As soon as the dressmaker had left, Cait collapsed into a chair. When she caught Lily's concerned gaze, she offered her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You'll be stunning tomorrow," Cait said.

Lily sat down beside her. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." Cait looked down at her hands, playing absently with the red fabric of her skirt. "I should be asking you that."

"I'm much better than I could have been, thanks to you and the others."

Cait bit her lip. "Bertha was one of my oldest friends."

Lily's heart clenched at the memory of Bertha's body being dragged away, like some sort of rubbish rather than a person.

"I'm sorry," Lily said.

"It's not your fault," Cait said, and there was a new edge to her voice. "It's the traitor's. Someone told Severus Prince where you would be, and Bertha got dragged into it. Perhaps they would have come for her anyway, if the traitor knew about her."

"You said only you, me, and Brian knew we were going to the village," Lily said hesitantly. "Does that mean…?"

"Brian said he mentioned it to Graham, who says he told Anne, who could have told any number of people. But I'm going to discover who told Severus Prince about us, and I'm going to make sure he—or she—dies." Cait's hands clenched.

"We'll catch them," Lily said quietly. "We have to."

Cait let out a breath. "We shouldn't dwell on that today, of all days. You're going to be a married woman tomorrow, after all… which reminds me. I have something for you and James."

She slipped two rings off of her hands, both simple gold bands.

"I know you and James weren't able to bring much with you when you escaped England. These belonged to my parents, before they died. I want you two to have them, for my wedding gift. They're a bit old, now, but-"

Lily shook her head. "No. That's very kind, but we can't take something so personal."

"You're my friend. I want you to have them."

"You'll need them for your own wedding," Lily said.

"Your wedding is happening now. Who knows if I'll ever get married?" She turned very serious. "Please, Lily. I want you to take them."

It was a kindness beyond words, so Lily pulled Cait into a tight hug. Neither spoke for a long moment.

When they pulled away, Cait was wearing a mischievous expression. "So, Lily… are you excited for your wedding night?"

And just like that, the panic was back. Lily looked at Cait, her eyes wide, and Cait burst out laughing.

"Is that a no?"

"I really haven't thought about it."

Cait just raised her eyebrows.

It hadn't been a total lie. While Lily had perhaps occasionally had some unchaste thoughts about James, in all of the chaos of the day, she hadn't stopped to imagine what marrying James would mean. But just because they were marrying tomorrow didn't mean they had to have sex tomorrow, Lily told herself. There was no need to rush that, was there? Especially if they weren't necessarily going to stay married.

Lily hesitated. "Maybe he won't want to…"

"You have to consummate the marriage for it to be valid," Cait said, and Lily's heart sank. "It's going to be your first time?"

Lily nodded, although she didn't tell Cait that she'd done just about everything else with a boyfriend at Hogwarts.

"And James?"

"Oh, I doubt he's a virgin," Lily said with a small laugh. "He dated a bunch of girls at Hogwarts."

She was so nervous at the thought that she didn't realize what she had said until it was too late.

"I mean, girls from Hogwarts. We were taught by his parents, but-"

"I don't believe you," Cait said slowly. "But I don't understand. If we're the same age, I'd know you if you went to Hogwarts."

Lily hesitated.

Cait's eyes were widening. "Are you using polyjuice potion? Are you… you're not the spy, are you?"

"Of course not," Lily said.

She knew what she had to do; she had to tamper with Cait's memory. But as if she could sense her intentions, Cait had drawn her wand.

Heart pounding, Lily dropped her own wand to the floor with a clatter.

"I'll tell you the truth," Lily said. "But there's no way you're going to believe me."

As James rested in their shared room, Sirius looked out the window at the castle courtyard. It was mostly emptied now that it was evening, which was a shame, because Sirius needed a distraction. After some minutes, he sighed, turning his gaze back to James's sleeping form. Even in his sleep, Sirius thought James looked happy.

James was still ill, Sirius knew, and he thought James had been doing too much recently. Daring rescues while you were recovering from torture surely wouldn't be advised by most healers, but then again, Cait wasn't the most competent of healers, Sirius thought with malice. Sirius had finally convinced him to take a nap, but only because he'd successfully pointed out that James was swaying on his feet.

He tried not to think about how he and James wouldn't be sharing a room for much longer. But even as his gaze was drawn back to James as if by some magnetic pull, he felt a surge of anger. He knew everything there was to know about James. He knew he slept curled up, and that he sometimes talked to himself in his sleep. He and James had shared everything: friends, inside jokes, even James's parents. How was it fair, then, that Lily got him? But she had slowly been taking James away from him, and tomorrow would only make it official.

Sirius sighed again and buried his face in his hands.

"What's wrong?"

Sirius lifted his head to see James watching him with concern.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that…"

James shifted into a seated position and put on his glasses. "Yes?"

It was painful, Sirius thought, how much he loved James. People spoke about love as if it was this wonderful thing, but it wasn't. Not when it was a one-sided longing.

Sirius summoned his courage. "I was thinking that I love you."

James smiled. For a moment, Sirius allowed himself to hope.

"Aww, I love you too. You're the best friend I could hope for."

A bitter sort of disappointment filled him.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to have a best man in the 1700s, but I'd like it to be you."

"I'm your only friend in this time."

"You'd be my best man in any time, no matter how many friends I had," James said.

Sirius knew he should just settle for James's friendship. He should concede defeat; he should support his friend as he married the woman of his dreams. But part of Sirius couldn't help but think that if only Lily weren't in the picture, James might discover that he cared for Sirius as more than a friend.

"So Lily really said she has feelings for you?" Sirius said, falsely incredulous. "She must have fallen for you pretty fast."

James's smile faded.

"I just think you should consider that she's using you," Sirius said quickly. "How do you know she's not pretending she has feelings for you, just to secure her own safety?"

"Because Lily's not like that," James said.

"She could be more manipulative than you think. She did tell me that she didn't have feelings for you, and that was, what, a week and a half ago?"

"Maybe I should go talk to her," James said, climbing to his feet with a wince.

Sirius felt alarm course through him. "It's not like she'll tell the truth if she's manipulating you."

James ignored him, but as he reached the door, he turned back and said, "Thanks for always looking out for me, Sirius."

The door closed behind him, leaving Sirius utterly alone, and feeling as though his last hope had just been pulled away.

Cait sat on her bed while Lily waited nervously. Cait hadn't said anything for a full two minutes, and Lily was left feeling a bit like a child waiting for her parents to say something after getting a nasty call from the headmaster.

"You're insane," Cait said, her voice hard. "Either that, or you're a lying traitor."

"Are those really the only explanations?" Lily said, a bit desperately.

"You really expect me to believe you're from the future?"

Lily smiled faintly. "We're witches. We live in a world of magic-"

"Magic has rules," Cait said flatly. "There's a logic to magic. Time travel… it just doesn't fit."

"You said we're friends," Lily said. "If you believe that, then can't you trust me?"

Cait looked at her, and Lily could practically see her mind spinning. Finally, Cait swore under her breath.

"Yes, I think I can," Cait said. "It makes a certain amount of sense. I have heard stories about those stones, even though I thought they were fairy tales. And then there was the strange way you three were dressed when we met, the strange way you sometimes speak, the fact that you and James were hurt so badly by Severus Prince… I don't believe even a committed spy would allow themselves to come to such physical harm. And beyond that, Lily, I like to believe you've been genuine with me, as I've been with you."

"I've been as genuine as I can be, without telling you that secret."

Cait was quiet for a moment. "And I can't tell anyone?"

"I'd prefer it if you don't," Lily said. "It could be dangerous for us."

Cait nodded. "Then I'll take the secret to my grave. What's the future like, Lily? Tell me… does this go away?" She only gestured vaguely with her hand, but Lily didn't need Cait to tell her what she meant.

"Um… no," Lily said quietly.

She told Cait everything, then. She told her about her parents, about Voldemort, about the impending war in the future.

"…and I thought that if I could somehow change the past, then I might be able to change that future."

"I'll help you," Cait said.

"I know," Lily said softly.

James made his way through the stone hallways, taking several wrong turns on the way to Lily's room. At one point, he was certain he'd made it to the right room, until he heard the voices from inside. They were speaking in hushed, heated tones, which naturally made James creep closer and listen.

"…I think we need to tell father."

James stiffened as he recognized the drawling voice of Graham Ferguson. Not for the first time, he wished he had time travelled with his invisibility cloak.

"No," Brian's voice said. "We have no proof that it was her."

"Who else would it have been? You said that only four of us knew that you three were going to the village. You would suspect your own sister?"

Brian heaved a sigh. "I don't know who to suspect, frankly."

The silence was loaded.

"You suspect me?" Graham said coldly.

"Well, of the four of us, only one of us personally knew Severus Prince. Only one of us practically worshipped him, and only one of us resents the muggleborns for putting our family at risk. And it's neither Anne, nor Cait, nor me."

"Brother, your feelings for her are blinding you," Graham said.

"She's not a traitor. I would bet my life on it."

"I hope you're comfortable betting all of our lives on it."

"Then I have your word not to mention your suspicions to father?"

Once again, silence. James leaned closer to the door.

"You have my word. For now."

Footsteps approached the door, and James hid behind a curtain in time to see Graham storm out of the room, his expression coldly furious. Brian left soon after, and James continued his search for Lily's room, finding himself moving faster now. If James had understood the conversation correctly, then Graham thought Cait was the traitor. James had rejected the idea immediately, but now doubt was nagging at him. Lily and Cait were sharing a room, so they were probably alone together. What if Cait was planning to kill her, now that Severus Prince hadn't finished the job?

When he reached their room, the door was open a crack, and he could see that Cait was braiding Lily's hair. Lily couldn't see Cait's face, but James could. Her expression wasn't one of malice, but rather one that was quite loving, and James felt incredibly foolish for suspecting her.

He knocked on the door, and Cait stood to answer it.

"Could I talk to Lily?" James asked her.

"I can go for a walk," Cait said, grabbing a shawl.

"No, don't let us kick you out. We'll go for the walk," Lily assured her.

They shared a smile, and James had the sense that he had missed something.

Lily slipped out the door with James, and then she was there, so close to him, and he had to fight the urge to lean in and kiss her. But he reminded himself why he was there and turned away.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, once they had reached the courtyard.

It was dusk, and the brilliant light of the sunset illuminated Lily's face, sparkling in her green eyes and catching in her fiery red hair. She was so breathtaking that he momentarily forgot what he had wanted to talk to her about, until she tilted her head in a silent question.

"Oh… just something Sirius said…"

"Yes?"

He swallowed hard, wrenching his gaze from her face to somewhere over her shoulder.

"Why did you tell him you didn't have feelings for me?"

He dared to look at her, only to see her expression had darkened.

"It's okay if you didn't, or if you still don't," he hurried to say. "I'll marry you anyway. But…"

He trailed off. Lily looked conflicted.

"What?" he asked worriedly.

"I think he misunderstood," she said carefully. "He asked me to tell you if I didn't have feelings for you. I said I wouldn't do that, because it wasn't the right time for me to think about romance. I never said I didn't have feelings for you."

James felt much lighter. "Oh."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, James. Yes, I have feelings for you."

"Tell me again," he said. "I'll never get sick of hearing it."

She rolled her eyes. "I have feelings for you."

"Maybe a few more times, just in case?"

She laughed quietly. "I have feelings for you."

They were very close now, and he closed the distance between them. He was never going to get sick of kissing Lily Evans, he decided. That was the only thought he had time for before his mind went blissfully blank, consumed entirely by the feeling of Lily's lips on his.