Chapter 18:

Aftermath

"Lils, it's me," Junie called out as she stepped through the Floo at the Potter's home. It looked like a cyclone had gone through, which was highly unusual for the ordinarily fastidious Lily. Marlene appeared at the top of the grand staircase.

"We're up here," she said, and Junie quickly went up. "First of all, that outfit is stunning, and I have to know where you purchased it. Second, do you know where James is?"

"James is at Sirius', my, our house," Junie said, flustered by her inability to give the right words. "He was there when we arrived back from the Ministry. The outfit came from some boutique Sirius knows the owner of, and he had it made special for our interview today. He likes me in blue," Junie answered.

"Well, he should," Marly said with a nod and a smile. "It makes your eyes twinkle, or maybe that's just your being in love. I take it the interview went well?"

"We both seemed to think so, although the real test will be when the article is published tomorrow. Sirius all but threatened the man with his job if it wasn't to his liking."

"Sounds like Viscount Black, which we all know and love, and no, I don't mean it that way. He's a good friend and uncle, and I love him like a brother," Marly hastily added.

"I know that," Junie said in response. "You've always been our supporter. Now, where is Lily, and what happened this morning?"

"Lily is sleeping right now; I don't think she has in days. Things went fine at hospital, it's when we returned home, and Lily needed to talk with James that it all fell apart. I took Eddie to the Weasleys' place while they 'discussed' the issue. The mess on the first floor was what happened when James and Lily both lost their tempers." Marly explained.

"He can't possibly blame her."

"No, but he's upset it happened nearly two months ago, and she never said anything before now."

"I see," Junie said. "Well, Sirius will call Remus over, and the three of them will get pissed while Sirius convinces James that Lily loves him and this isn't the end of the world or their relationship. How is she?"

"Distraught," Marlene answered. "She didn't sleep at all since leaving your house yesterday, and after the magical torrent downstairs, she cried and cried and then fell asleep. It might have also been the dose of Draught of Peace I slipped into her tea. I've been reading old copies of Witch Weekly from Rosie's room. I can't imagine what it was like having your older brother and uncle in so many issues."

"Sirius is still in that rag?" Junie said with a laugh as Marlene led her into Rosie's immaculately clean room. It was not a normal state when the girl was at home.

"Oh, yes, and he loves homemade kidney pie." Marlene made a face; as a vegetarian, she found the idea repulsive. Junie giggled at her.

"No, he doesn't," Junie said, laughing harder. "He hates any sort of pie crust. It's why I made Shepherd's Pie last night. I once suggested I make a Beef Wellington, and he nearly fell over laughing at the idea of 'putting perfectly good meat inside some doughy shite' I believe were his exact words.

"What did he do all those years on Harry's Birthday? He always asks for Steak and Kidney Pie?"

"He ate the middle out and then Banished the crust to the fireplace or waste bin. I watched him do it when Harry was eight. At the time, it did not endear him to me; now I think it's funny."

"Merlin, you seem happy," Marlene said out of the blue, and Junie just smiled.

"If I had only known," Junie said softly, thinking of the words both she and Sirius had shared during the interview. "He wants to marry me, Marley. He nearly asked me while we were in bed last night, but he was naked, and I was barely dressed, and it just didn't seem appropriate."

"Well, when it happens like that, you can't exactly share the story with anyone," Marlene said, her cheeks turning red. "Then you need to come up with a story to tell people and remember it."

"Did Remus propose while you were in bed?" Junie's eyes went large at the near revelation.

"He proposed mid-coitus. I came, he asked, he came. Please, do not tell him I ever told you. He'd die of embarrassment."

"So, the whole country picnic?"

"Fabrication," Marlene admitted. "It was how my Muggle grandmother was proposed to, and I did love the story as a girl, so we told my mum and dad he replicated it because it meant so much to me. It was easy to remember."

"Shite, keeping this from Sirius is going to be a chore, but I will. I promise," Junie said definitely.

"So, speaking of sex…"

"We haven't had sex yet, but we're close. I will say, the things he can do with those long fingers of his are amazing."

"Juniper Meadows, that's positively scandalous," Marlene answered in mock horror. Junie just shrugged in response. "I'm glad it's working out for you."

"We had a hilarious conversation over breakfast yesterday about my hymen. You'd think a man who was so talented and well versed in the art of lovemaking would know more about the way the human body works."

"How did you end up discussing your hymen at breakfast?" Marlene asked. "Second thought, I don't want to know. Purebloods need better educations."

"And, if all goes well with our bill, they will get one."

"Marley?" A groggy voice called from the master bedroom, and both women rose to find their friend. Junie wished she'd change before she came, but there would be nothing here Lily could loan her as she was taller and thinner. At least she could take the stiletto heels off.

"We're here, Lils," Marlene answered as her two friends came into the master bedroom. "Budge over."

Lily moved to the middle of the bed, and Marlene and Junie got in on either side of her, wrapping their arms around their friend. There was a familiar feel to it, as the trio had been doing this since they were schoolgirls.

"This is much easier than when we tried to do this in the beds in Gryffindor," Marlene said wistfully. "No drapes to get in the way."

"There's no crack either," Lily said, thankful for their wider than a double bed James had charmed for them.

"Friendship is still the same, though," Junie added.

"Is it?" Lily questioned before going on. "I'm sorry for how awful I've been-" Lily pleaded before she started crying again. Junie snuggled closer to her friend and put her darker head next to the redhead, and stopped her friend from talking by speaking over her.

"Lils, I accept your apology, and I'm happy to know why you've been so strange for the last few months. I can't imagine someone treating me that way."

"Healer Lindscomb is going to be in a world of hurt come tomorrow when the hospital puts him on administrative leave," Marley said. "Given the way Lily questioned today, I don't think this is his first accusation of sexual harassment at St. Mungo's."

"I don't think it is either," Lily said as she calmed down. "There was another potioneer who left to go into private practice about a year ago who had some sort of incident with him. He was banned from coming into our laboratories for six months."

"Lout," Junie thundered, and they all laughed.

"You always had the best vocabulary," Marley said.

"It was a word I used to use for Sirius," Junie admitted. "Turns out he wasn't quite the man-whore I thought he was."

"Or I thought he was," Lily said. "How am I ever going to make it up to him?"

"I don't think you'll need to make it up to him," Junie said. "Just apologize. Maybe buy him a good bottle of liquor, as I'm certain he's going to use up his Ogden's Best with James today."

"Is that where he is? Oh, thank goodness," Lily said.

"The only other place he would have gone was to Remus," Junie said gently.

"I was afraid he'd go to Nottingham and do something dumb," Lily confessed.

"What… like get another silly tattoo?" Marley asked, and Lily shrugged. James had tagged along when Sirius had gone to get one and ended up with a set of lips on his arse. They had to shave a patch to spell it on, which made it look all the more ridiculous.

"Lily Evans Potter, if you think he'd do anything other than drink too much or get a tattoo it's just silly," Marley announced. "James has loved you since he was in the second year, and he realised girls were different from boys. It was the second day back from the Christmas hols, and you had on that pretty purple sweater after classes, and he realized you had boobs."

"I remember, he announced to the whole common room that you'd 'bloomed and developed' just like his love for you," Junie added.

"He was such a dork!" Lily announced, half-laughing, half-crying. "I was so embarrassed."

"We remember," Marley said. "We were playing Gobstones with you, and we had to decamp to our dorm room, which wasn't as much fun as Josie Whitmeyer was up there bawling about missing her parents."

"Josie Whitmeyer had terrible homesickness until fourth year," Lily said. "I tried to make her feel better, but…"

"Anyway, the point I'm making is that James loves you. He always has, he always will. Can you feel him in your bond?" Marlene asked.

"I sure can," Lily said with a sniffle and a grin. "He's feeling nostalgic and a bit drunk, I think."

"That's probably true," Junie said, sitting up. Laying down in the jacket of her robes was quite uncomfortable. "He showed up at our place with a bottle of rum that looked mostly empty." Junie then stood and slipped the coat off, revealing the top of her dress's sheer arms.

"There wasn't much in it," Lily explained. "It was what was left after I make the Christmas Pudding. There isn't much liquor here. We caught Eddie taking a swig on New Year's Eve." Junie had sat down on the end of the bed, not wanting to wrinkle the delicate fabric more than she had.

"Boys," Marley said. "Junie, seriously, that dress is killer."

"She's right," Lily said. "So much better than turtlenecks and wool pants."

"I didn't dress that badly," Junie said defensively.

"No, but you were blander than dry toast," Marley added. "That dress is something someone comfortable in their own skin wears. I bet you and Sirius were dressed to the nines for that interview."

"We were; both of us had new robes. He looked every bit the Chief Warlock when we walked into his office."

"So, the interview went well?" Lily asked.

"We think so," Junie said honestly. "Marriage and children came up, and thankfully we were both able to say in unison that it wasn't in the cards just yet, but it has me thinking. Am I ready to be the Viscountess of Nottingham, Mrs. Juniper Meadows-Black? Do I want to be pregnant and have a child in my early forties? My goddaughter is likely to have a baby closer in age to any child Sirius, and I would have than any of your children."

"Do not even joke in passing about Rosie being pregnant, thank you," Lily hastily jumped in.

"Fine, but you see what I'm saying, right? I never thought I wanted those things until I started this relationship with Sirius, and now," she sighed, "I'm not sure what I want."

"I think that you're even considering your long-held attitude of being the 'awesome auntie' rather than a mum is proof that you're with the right man," Lily said. "I was so wrong about the two of you, and I'm the first to say that I'm sorry I've been such a bitch."

"Marley, write down the date," Junie said with a smile. "We might never get Lily to admit she's wrong about something again, but we will always have this memory." Lily threw a pillow at her friend.

"Prat."

Meanwhile, at Grimmauld Place, Sirius was doing his best to remain sober while fooling James and Remus, who were both well along the path to being thoroughly pissed and playing a drinking version of Exploding Snap. If you made an explosion, you had to drink a shot. If it was two in a row, two shots, and so on. He knew he could take a potion to clear up his head, but he'd rather not get drunk at all since he had legislation to review and a girlfriend to snog senseless. It was quite unusual for him to be the one sober while the other two were drunk. In their school days, it was usually Remus who didn't drink, and as they grew up, it was less about drinking to excess and more about savouring the quality of what they could buy.

"Remus, my wife doesn't love me," James slurred as he toppled into his mate. Of the three of them, James was the most inebriated.

"She loves you," Remus said, irritated. "We've been over this. What happened wasn't her fault. That healer bloke kissed her."

"That'sssss right," James slurred. "It was hisssss fault!" He abruptly stood up and knocked over the two now empty bottles as well as the not-quite empty glasses. Sirius quickly cleaned up the mess and decided James was done for the day. He Banished everything to his office downstairs and then Summoned three phials of the anti-intoxication potion from his potions' lab off the orangery. They sped into his hand just as James tripped over his own feet and landed on the long, leather sofa.

"Here," Sirius said, handing Remus the phial of shimmering tawny liquid. It looked much like butterbeer or whisky and indeed had liquor used in the brewing process. Thankfully, it tasted like butterscotch, so it went down smoothly, something he needed to thank Lily for since she'd adapted it from an older recipe. "Sober up."

"Thanks, mate, although I'm not that bad," Remus said. "I burn the alcohol off much quicker than you two. Werewolf metabolism and all." He uncorked the little bottle and drank it down. "Think we should wake him?"

"I'd say let him sleep it off for a bit," Sirius answered. "I want to see if Junie has had any luck with Lily before we send him back. I also don't want to send him off half-pissed to find the healer who kissed Lily. I'd hate to have him arrested for battery."

"The guy deserves it," Remus said plainly, and Sirius agreed. You don't make moves on another guy's wife. Period. "Marlene made it sound like this wasn't the first time the guy had made moves on someone who had told him no. Vermin."

"I might have dated indiscriminately for a while," Sirius said. "But wives, fiancées, steady girlfriends even, they are not fair game." Sirius uncorked his potion and drank it. Though far from intoxicated, he needed his mind to be precise while reviewing the legislation the Wizengamot would discuss tomorrow. Additionally, he had the sudden urge to revisit the Sexual Harassment policies of both St. Mungo's and in greater Wizarding law. He wanted this healer fellow to get the point that you don't kiss women without their consent. Kissing any woman while under the influence, at work no less, shouldn't be tolerated.

Sirius and Remus sat down to discuss the kids, the incident, their significant others, and anything else that came to mind. Sirius considered asking his friend for advice on how to propose to Junie but decided against it. He wanted it to be a surprise, and if Remus knew, then Marlene would know, and then Junie would know because Marlene was terrible at keeping surprises quiet.

An hour later, Junie returned home, saying that Lily had sent Marlene and herself away and was awaiting James' return. The gents awoke him, gave him his potion and a strong cup of coffee, and Remus took him home to apologize. They then would need to rescue Eddie from Molly Weasley, who was undoubtedly smothering him with motherly love, since all of her children had moved out.