Prompt: Having a bad day (and one final thing causes them to break)
"Hey, Lil?" James called up from the kitchen.
She zipped her white fitted dress, and ran a brush through her hair. A quick glance in the mirror deemed her appearance acceptable for the event.
"Lily?" he called again, more urgently this time.
"Coming!" she called back, hopping on one booted-foot as she tugged on the other. Task completed, she rushed down the stairs to where James had called.
The acrid smell of burnt food hit her first, then the sight of the oven– and the curls of smoke escaping from the open oven door. "No! No, no no!" she cried, under her breath, grabbing the tea towel off the counter and pulling the smoking remains of her roast chicken from the oven.
"So I take it this isn't a typical step in muggle cooking?" James asked with a small smile, trying, but failing, to reassure her.
Lily shook her head silently– she was afraid if she opened her mouth right now, she'd just start sobbing– as she rushed around the kitchen opening windows to let the smoke out.
"Hey," James caught her by the shoulders as she rushed past him, "Relax, Lil. It's going to be fine." He pulled his wand from his pocket, and with a graceful flick the smoke cleared, taking with it the stench of burnt food. "I can still ask Missy–"
"You're not asking your house elf to cater!" Lily interrupted, "It was supposed to be a nice, home cooked meal. I'm meeting your parents. I just want everything to be perfect!"
"And it is," James reassured her, "I'm here. You're here. How much more perfect could it get?" He dropped his hands from her shoulders to drape around her waist, pulling her towards him. She tilted her head back to meet his gaze, awarding him a solid kiss for his sappy, sentimental– yet calming statement. "Why don't we order that pizza take-away you had that one time? That was delicious." Lily nodded her assent, pulling away from him to grab the phone off the kitchen counter. James made a noise of protest as he reached out to pull her back into his embrace, but was met with empty air.
The pizza ordered, Lily and James set about setting the table for their guests. She couldn't decide whether or not to put out the wine glasses. Was it too gauche to have wine with a pizza? She'd placed them on the table, then second guessed herself and returned them to the cabinet, before getting them back out– because she had picked out a lovely wine, why waste it? But did that wine really go with a takeaway pizza? She picked up one of the glasses to return them to the cabinet once again, when James settled a calming hand over hers. "Leave it, Lil," he told her, "You're worried over nothing."
"I just want them to like me!" Lily protested, "And I've seen your impeccable table manners– don't deny it!" he snapped his mouth closed, the argument dying on his tongue. "I just want them to like me, James. I need them to like me," she stressed.
"Relax, Lil. They'll love you. Regardless of what food is served, even if you chew with your mouth open, and sit with your elbows on the table–"
"I do not!"
He gave her a teasing smile. "They'll love you, Lily. They'll love you because I love– because I like you so much," he amended. The change had been almost imperceivable, but she noticed it. She noticed it because she wanted him to finish the statement. She wanted him to say it so badly it made her chest hurt. She needed him to say it because, over the course of the last month she'd come to a conclusion: that she, Lily Evans, was absolutely and irrevocably in love with James Potter. But she couldn't be the one to say it first. She just couldn't. Instead, she decided to show him. Lily stretched up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him down to her level so she could snog the daylights out of this man. He went gladly, his lips meeting hers in a warm and familiar embrace. She brought one of her hands to rest against his chest; the other pressed to the nape of his neck to bring him ever closer. He twined his fingers through her hair, angling her head, and pressed her back against the kitchen counter. His tongue had just started to trace the edges of her lips– when they were interrupted by the chiming of the doorbell.
Like she'd been electrified, Lily sprang away from James– ignoring his grumbled protest– as she rushed to the hallway mirror to fix her mussed hair and straighten her dress, before answering the door. James caught up with her in the hallway trying in vain to flatten his hair, before giving up and shrugging his shoulders in resignation.
She took a deep breath, and stepped forward to open the door– he rested a reassuring hand at the small of her back. With one more calming breath, she opened the door and put on her most winning smile.
"Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, it's so lovely to finally meet you!" She greeted a stunning woman who had James' hazel eyes, and a man who would have been the spitting image of James– if not for the graying hair and laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. James' parents both greeted her with warm smiles and kisses to her cheeks, and Mrs. Potter fairly gushed: "Oh, you're even more stunning in person. You don't do her justice in your letters, Jamesie!" James blushed– either at the nickname or his mother's disclosure that he wrote about her, at least fairly regularly.
"Yes, yes, she's beautiful," he acquiesced, a blush still staining his cheeks, "Let me take your coats–" He trailed off, and Lily looked over to see what had caught his attention. His happy– if not slightly embarrassed– smile faded, and he leveled an exasperated glare out the door. She craned her neck in an attempt to see around the Potters in her doorway, to no avail.
"What Evans? No kiss for me?" an all too familiar voice called from the front walk.
Sirius Black pushed through the Potters, stopping to press a smacking kiss to Lily's cheek. Lily could do nothing but stare at the unwanted interloper at tonight's dinner.
James grabbed his friend by the shoulder, "Pads. What are you doing here? I told you not to come. Remember? I told you specifically not to come."
"Oh, I know. But the house was so empty without all of you. And I know Evans would never turn away a stray." His statement punctuated with an overdramatic, and insincere pout.
James' parents both chuckled, shaking their heads in the manner of people well acquainted with Sirius' flair for the dramatics. Lily narrowed her eyes at the man in question, "Of course not," she ground out, "the more the merrier."Sirius eagerly shed his coat, tossing it at James as he made his way further into the house, followed by the Potters.
"I'm sorry," James whispered, pressing a kiss to her head. "I swear I told him–"
"LILY!" He was interrupted by an incensed screech. No. No, no, no, no, no. This could not be happening to her. The universe wouldn't be this cruel.
"Lily!" Petunia screeched again, charging up the front walk– her fiance, Dursely, waddling behind her. "Lily! Who are all these people? Are they your kind?" Sirius and the Potters, who had been on their way to the kitchen, stopped at the commotion in the front hallway. "What will the neighbors think? You can't just bring your group of freaks into my home unannounced!"
"Our home. Our home, Petunia," Lily corrected, desperately striving to keep her tone civil. The last thing the Potters needed was her biggotted sister screaming hate in their faces. "And it's not unannounced. Remember? I told you I would be having people over this weekend. And since and your lovely fiance were taking a trip this weekend, it wouldn't even be an imposition on you."
"Well, heaven forbid I check up on my home before I go out of town– only to find it infested with freaks!" Petunia's voice took on a shrill tone of outrage.
"That's enough, Tuney," Lily forced herself to keep her voice even, despite the fact that everything in her wanted to scream in Petunia's face, just as Petunia had done to her. "This is my boyfriend's family, and I will not allow you to disrespect them like that." Petunia opened her mouth to spew more hate.
"Enough, Petunia." James cut in. "You've said your piece, now it's time for you to leave." Petunia whirled on him, clearly outraged at being spoken down to by a 'freak'– but James beat her to the punch. He didn't yell, as Petunia would have, but simply took a step closer to her enraged sister and lowered his head to whisper something that had Petunia taking a step back. Then another, her eyes widening in horror.
"Fine," she directed her hissed retort at her sister, "I'm leaving." And with as much dignity as Petunia could muster, she retreated through the door– nose held in the air. James slammed the door shut behind her, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"My sister," Lily informed her guests weakly, "I'm sorry you all had to witness that."
"Nothing to worry about dear," Mrs. Potter said, matter of factly, "Every family has its bad seeds. We needn't blame ourselves for how they grow."
"Yeah!" Sirius chimed in, "My family has generations of inbreeding and blood-purity maniacs, and a genetic tendency towards madness. Your crazy sister doesn't even come close!" He laughed and gave a self-deprecating shrug, and soon they all chuckled along with him– clearly recalling some of Sirius' less savory family members.
There was a knock at the door, and they all jumped.
"Delivery!"
Lily let out a laugh at the inanity of the situation. "It's just the dinner. Go on, have a seat in the dining room. I'll be in in a moment." James led his family to the dining room as Lily paid the delivery man and followed them in with the steaming pizzas, setting them down on the table. The (slightly greasy) delivery boxes looked so out of place against the china and wine glasses she'd laid out, and she couldn't help the bubble of nervous laughter that escaped from her throat. "It isn't much," she offered– suddenly embarrassed, "I had made a dinner, but then I got distracted, and then the food was burning, and I didn't have time to start anything new–"
"Pizza!" She was cut off by Mr. Potter's excited exclamation. "I absolutely adore the dish," he said, taking in her shocked expression, "I had it once in muggle London. But then I couldn't figure out how to work the muggle speaking device to request another. And try as they might, the elves just can't get it quite as right as the muggles can." He eagerly helped himself to a heaping slice, before picking up his wife's plate and serving her as well. Sirius and James followed suit, and Lily excused herself to get the wine from the kitchen.
She'd just reentered the dining room when Mrs. Potter spotted her. "Ah, a girl after my own heart!"
"Mum loves wine. It borders on alcoholism, really. " James informed her in a sotto-whisper.
"It does not!" Mrs. Potter corrected, playfully swatting at her son. "I just happen to enjoy a glass on occasion. I am a connoisseur, if you will." Mother and son bickered back and forth on the meaning of 'connoisseur' and soon the whole table was in stitches. Sirius opened the second bottle of wine, pouring them all another glass, before helping himself to another slice of pizza. Lily felt her tense shoulders finally relax as the wine and conversation flowed pleasantly.
"Merlin, it's absolutely sickening how infatuated these two are!" Sirius crowed to James' parents, gesturing at the two of them, "Might make me believe in love yet."
"As you should!" Mrs. Potter interjected, "You are far too young to have claimed bachelor status already."
"No. I am a confirmed bachelor," Sirius declared. "I have no intention of looking like an idiot for years, like this one over here–" he gestured at James, "– did trying to get this one" – a dramatic gesture at Lily– "to go out with him." She smiled warmly at James from across the table.
"Prongs, remember when you wouldn't leave her alone for an entire week in fourth year? And she went and learned a stinging jinx just to use on you!"
"Worth it," James said, with a wink at her that made her face warm.
"And remember fifth year, when you asked Evans to Hogsmeade, and she quickly shut you down with a goblet of pumpkin juice down the robes?" James and his parents chuckled. Clearly, they'd heard this story before.
Lily cringed at that particular memory. It was one of the more rare times that James had attempted to ask her out without his typical fanfare.
He approached her at the Gryffindor table, without his usual entourage. He stood behind her, silently, until Marlene had cleared her throat and gave a pointed head nod in his direction.
"Yes Potter?"
"Could I have a word? In private?"
"I imagine whatever you have to say to me, you are fully capable of doing here," she'd told him rather coldly.
James shuffled in place, keeping his eyes firmly down towards his feet.
"Iwaswonderingifyou'dliketogowithmetoHogsmeadethisweekend." It came out as one word.
"Sorry, I don't think I caught that."
He cleared his throat and tried again. "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend."
Convinced he was playing an elaborate prank on her, she'd firmly turned him down– but not before emptying her goblet of pumpkin juice all over him at the perceived slight.
"But nothing tops the Evans silent treatment of sixth year!" Sirius crowed.
Lily felt the blood drain from her face, and couldn't clear the lump from her throat to tell him to shut up. The silent treatment he referred to was, of course, the distance she'd deliberately put between them following his stunt at the lake at the end of fifth year. Something she really did not want to reminisce over in front of James' parents right now. "Sirius–" James warned.
"No, no. It was amazing! I have never seen one person ignore another with such conviction. Took commitment, Evans!" he continued on, deliberately ignoring the twin glares Lily and James sent his way. "Prongsie here moped all term, and you didn't have to do a single thing!"
James cringed at the memory. Lily drained her wineglass in one go.
"I'm going to get more wine," she announced, lurching to her feet and exiting the room quickly. She shut herself in the pantry, leaning a hand against one of the shelves and taking desperate, heaving breaths in a fruitless attempt to calm knew she and James had taken a while to get to where they were now; but hearing the stories strung together, one after the other, was too much. She was awful. He had always had feelings for her, and she had shut him down at every turn. His parents probably hated her. She hated herself, listening to the stories from the boys' point of view.
She got her breathing under control, but decided nothing could be done for the anxiety gnawing at her stomach. Straightening herself out, she grabbed the bottle of wine she had ostensibly come in here to get. Her fingers had barely brushed the neck of the bottle, when the sound of another round of raucous laughter made her jump, knocking the bottle to the ground. Frantically, she dropped to her knees– trying to collect the broken shards of glass and mop up the spilled wine with the hem of her dress.
That was how he found her. On her knees in the pantry, dress stained, and little bits of glass cutting into her palms. "I just came in to check on–" he paused, taking in the scene in front of him. "Oh, Evans," he whispered, and the tenderness in his tone pushed her over the edge. The torrent of tears fell down her face as she mumbled incoherent apologies. "Shhhh," he soothed, wiping her tears and helping her to her feet. He healed her hands and banished the mess on the floor and on her dress with a few flicks of his wand. She was still crying as he took her in his arms and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. The gentle gesture only made her cry harder. She had been awful to him. How could she ever expect this wonderful man to love her back?
They were interrupted by a knock against the pantry door, and sprang apart as Mrs. Potter poked her head in. "James, darling, would you join the boys in the dining room?"
The two seemed to communicate silently before James nodded, giving her hand a firm squeeze and stepping out of the pantry. Lily followed after him.
"Actually, Lily, I was wondering if we could have a word alone?" Lily nodded, and steeled herself for the verbal lashing she rightly deserved.
"I know my son isn't perfect," Mrs. Potter started, "but I'm quite proud of the man he's grown to be."
"I know. He's lovely. He–"
"Though I am proud of the man he's become, I am not unaware of the absolute terror he no doubt was at school." She continued, waving off Lily's protests. "We received more letters than I care to admit from both the headmaster and the head of Gryffindor house about our sons' behaviour." Lily didn't miss how she casually lumped Sirius in as one of her own.
"Still," Lily said, "That doesn't give me leave to be as cruel to him as I was in the past. I am truly sorry, and please know I care for your son very deeply." Love. She loved James. But was determined to tell him, before she told his mother.
"You misunderstand me, Lily," Mrs. Potter said, laying a comforting hand over her own. "I am well aware of my son's faults. That is to say, my son has been a bit of a prat up until recently." Lily couldn't help her quiet snort of laughter at Mrs. Potter's assessment of her son. "And I think you are a large reason as to why he's finally decided to grow up and become the man I always knew he could be."
"I hold no ill-will towards you Lily, darling, in fact I rather commend you on how you've dealt with them over the years. He can be arrogant, and he is stubborn in his convictions, and it would take someone of equal confidence and strength of conviction to impact any change on James Potter." She finished and bestowed Lily with a warm smile, which Lily returned wholeheartedly. "Now why don't we go check on the men, and make sure they haven't destroyed your dining room while left alone." She offered her elbow, and Lily happily linked her own arm through it.
"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," she said– knowing that a simple thank you could never cover the extent to which she was grateful for Mrs. Potter's grace and understanding.
"Please, call me Euphemia." she said, as they walked arm-in-arm back to the dining room. "And I don't mean to scare you, dear, but if things continue much in the way I think they are, I more than eagerly anticipate welcoming you to the family."