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"Wake up!" A woman's deep voice shrieked. "Up at once!"

Lily felt the blankets ripped from her. "Old hag …" Lily thought to herself. Mrs. Potter indignantly sat in the stiff pink chair next to a window while her small army of maids whipped open the curtains and windows. She felt an unpleasant breeze and forced herself to stir. Her stomach sank. It was the dreaded morning of the wedding. Wishes truly don't come true. "Where's my wand?" She groggily mumbled.

"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Potter briskly snatched Lily's wand from the bedside table. "The bride is forbidden from using magic on her wedding day! We've been over this before. The proper bride cannot use magic; her –"

"-her day is magical enough … bad luck." Lily finished.

"Indeed." Mrs. Potter huffed. She was dressed in a lovely pale yellow gown patterned with violet flowers and lace trim. Her jet black hair, speckled with gray was neatly pulled into a perfect bun. She looked like a porcelain figurine doll. Only to be looked at and admired, but never to touch. "It is already seven forty-five, and there has been an incident."

"An incident?" Lily asked as the maids pulled her out of bed and stripped her of her nightdress and underwear. A few maids were preparing the horrid wedding dress to inhabited by Lily's body for the day.

"Yes." Mrs. Potter gravely nodded. "A few hired butlers were acting rather odd, and my husband spotted them with Polyjuice."

Lily froze. "Polyjuice? Who were they really? Why?" A maid tried to grab her arm to perfume it, but she yanked it away. "What's going on?"

Mrs. Potter huffed. "Dear, you shouldn't upset yourself. My dear husband has alerted the Ministry and we'll have several Aurors arriving as an added precaution."

Lily wrapped her nude body in a robe and approached the woman. "This has to do with me being muggleborn, doesn't it?" She lowered her voice. "Were they Death Eaters?"

"Lily! Really!" Mrs. Potter briskly stood up. "You mustn't ask so many questions and upset yourself so!" She snapped her fingers and the maids removed Lily's robe. "Don't forget to powder her face, dears. It appears to be rather puffy and red this morning."

Lily was helpless as two maids rubbed perfumed oils and waters behind her ears, under her neck, on her wrists, and down the back of her legs. It smelled awfully floral, almost pungent. "James is going to think I smell like his grandmother." She bitterly thought to herself. A powder, just as pungent, was fluffed under her arms, her lower back, and behind her neck. Another maid forced Lily down on a stiff stool in front of the vanity mirror while she pulled at her dark red locks with a gold-handled brush. The maid tugged with difficulty, Lily winced.

"Do you ever comb your hair, girl?" Mrs. Potter quipped from her pink armchair.

Lily grunted through the yanking pain. "Vanity isn't at the top of the list for the single muggleborn girl in hiding."

"When was the last time you brushed your hair, Miss?" The maid asked.

Lily could feel some of her hairs ripped from her scalp. That was an interesting question. She had almost forgot her hair was so long; she had it tied up in a bun or pushed out of her face. She had forgotten completely how curly and tangled it would get. "It's been ages, really." She said with a laugh.

Mrs. Potter made an indignant noise. "You'll have to slick it into a bun, dears. Don't waste your time." She clicked her fingers. A thin, elegant flute of champagne floated through one of the open windows, off the serving tray of a butler from the garden below. Mrs. Potter drowned the glass in a matter of seconds. She caught Lily's wandering eyes. "No, no, dearie." Mrs. Potter smiled coldly. "Absolutely no drinking for you today."

"Why not?" Lily was now being smothered with a different powder. She quickly shut her eyes and held her breath as the maids attacked her face with the powder puff. When she opened her eyes, every freckle and blemish was concealed by the white powder.

"Your wedding night!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed. "You're expected to bear my darling James a son!"

Lily's stomach lurched unpleasantly. She hadn't considered the prospect of having children. Sex with James was already a sickly potion to swallow, but having his children? Lily pictured a black-haired baby suckling at her breast while several other black-haired children ran circles around her, screaming. James was playing on his broomstick and encouraging his children while Mrs. Potter cursed that muggleborns were incapable of rearing proper magical children. "What if the first is a girl?" Lily joked as she forced herself to forget that awfully vivid mental picture.

"Stop sweating!" The maid hissed as she applied another layer of powder to Lily's forehead.

Mrs. Potter chuckled. "A girl? My dear, that's unlikely. It's tradition that proper pureblood families produce one son. The son ensures the family name continues. Only after a healthy son is born first, comes a daughter. It would be her duty to marry another respectable wizard and make you a happy grandmother." Her eyes welled with tears of happiness. "Ooh, could you imagine, my dear Lily. Your own daughters, daughter-in-laws, and granddaughters could be wearing this very wedding gown! Oh, Lily, could you imagine …?"

Lily feigned a smile. The thought of being the grand matron of the Potter family nauseated her. It was time to put on the dress.

"Oh, darling!" Mrs. Potter beamed. "You look angelic!" She conjured a lace handkerchief and daintily wiped her eyes.

Lily only looked in horror at the reflection in the vanity mirror. That was not Lily Evans. A powdered, poised, and perfect doll stared back. The corsets and shapers smoothed her body into an unnaturally slim figure. The powder was layered with rouge on her cheeks, rosy lipstick, and charcoal on her lids and eyelashes. The dress was too perfect. Not a single wrinkle, broken seam, or tear. The train was long and heavy, but arranged around her like a pool of old lace. A lump in her throat started to rise; her face got hot. Her hands twitched and tried to clench into fists. Lily put on her most ridiculous smile while forcing down the scream burning in her throat. "Oh, this is too lovely!"

Mrs. Potter forced a bouquet of pink hydrangeas into Lily's hands. "The gardener just finished trimming these. Don't hold them anywhere near the dress, dear. No stains on your perfect day."

"Yes, ma'am." Lily choked out.

"Fix that posture!" Mrs. Potter snapped. "Stomach in! Shoulders back! Unlock those knees! Do you want to faint in front of our guests? No, dear, shoulders DOWN." Each reprimand came with a rough adjustment from the old croon's hands. "Elbows to your waist! Hands together, holding the bouquet … with BOTH hands, dear."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, about that face," Mrs. Potter squinted closely. Lily could smell the woman's sickly floral perfume. Dead flowers. "Tilt your chin up. Raise your eyebrows … no, too high. There. Get that goofy grin off your face, dear. Subtle smile, lips slightly apart." Mrs. Potter beamed and gestured her maids to see her handiwork. "Look! Oh Lily, you are perfectly marvelous! Isn't she marvelous, dears?" The maids smoothed out any imperfections that may have lingered or appeared. A maid carefully pinned the veil to Lily's bun. Mrs. Potter added a small flower crown of hydrangea buds and petals. The bride of James was complete. She turned to her maids, "Dears, I would like a moment with my daughter-in-law. Excuse us, please."

A maid gave Lily's shoulder a reassuring, gentle squeeze. The rest looked back one last time in admiration, then left the room; abandoning Lily all alone with Mrs. Potter. "Don't go …" Lily silently pleaded for them to stay behind. Anything, or anyone to rescue her from the woman's grasp.

"Now, Lily," Mrs. Potter began in a suddenly low voice. Her tears of happiness vanished and were replaced by steely glare. "This is exactly how you will stand in front of my son and our guests. You will not fidget, change your stance, and don't even think about speaking. The only words you say are 'I do' and nothing else." Mrs. Potter adjusted Lily's veil once more. "You don't know many of our guests, but you are expected to act friendly and civil towards them. They are your family now, so treat them as such. But do remember to act angelic, you are James' bride."

"I'm worried." Lily blurted. "You said you alerted the Ministry that there were imposters with Polyjuice. The Ministry is crawling with Death Eaters and spies. If they get so much as a whisper of muggleborn marriage, there will be more!"

Mrs. Potter froze, mouth agape. "Lily. Dear, darling Lily. You are still under the impression that you're being hunted." She shook her head with cold disapproval.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I lost many friends at the hands of Death Eaters! Muggleborns are being targeted and killed! You cannot ignore this!" Lily pleaded. She could feel her eyes getting wet and her throat started to sting. "I lost my friends and family to protect them! This is real and happening!" Lily grasped Mrs. Potters arms and looked her in the eyes. "You and your guests are in danger!" Lily gasped as Mrs. Potter slapped her across the cheek.

"What is this?" Mrs. Potter grabbed Lily's shoulders and forced her to sit down on the uncomfortable stool in front of the mirror. She leaned in close to Lily's ear. "You will marry James as planned; and if you run out or disrupt today in the slightest, I will see to it that you are locked away in an asylum, psychotic, silly bitch!" She hissed in Lily's ear, "There is no danger, but the insane stories you mudbloods concoct for attention! We took you in with open arms, but I will not tolerate you badgering my James with such nonsense!"

The bedroom door opened. A maid popped her head in. "Ma'am, is there any trouble? We heard a commotion."

Mrs. Potter switched faces and once more put on the façade as the proud mother-in-law. "Oh, dearie, it's nothing. Poor Lily is nervous on her big day."

"Poor thing." The maid looked sympathetically at Lily. "Your cousins are here early. They insist on seeing you, ma'am. You know how they are."

Mrs. Potter clasped her hands together in glee. "Clementine and Jane? Ooh, dearie, tell them I'll be seeing them shortly. I'm finishing up with Lily. Set out a tray of tea and cakes for them; they've had a long journey."

"Yes ma'am." Alone again.

Mrs. Potter turned to Lily. "You will stay right here in this room until it is time for the ceremony. One of my maids will retrieve you and escort you to the garden. There, my husband will walk you down the aisle, and you will stand at that bloody altar. Do I make myself clear, Lily?"

Lily could only nod.

"Good." Mrs. Potter threateningly gripped Lily's shoulders before briskly turning around and closing the door sharply behind her.