And They Live Happily Ever After…?

  Time had flown past the long, fruiting years of Hogwarts. Lily and James had just graduated from the school and are now waiting for their application to be a professor in Hogwarts to be granted. Lily was to take Muggle Studies and James Defense Against the Dark Arts. Spica Black had recently gotten engaged to her teenage heartthrob, Tippy Gleste. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigre had recently just started their jobs in the ministry, Magical Creatures Department.

  Now that both Lily and James are at home most of the time, constant yells were getting too constant for its own good, too, thanks to Petunia Evans's recent self-obsession. But that wore off after some time. Petunia eventually had to leave for school.

  Lily took pay from Spica for babysitting eight-year-old Cassiopeia Black because Spica simply couldn't stand the younger Black any longer.

  'And they live happily every after. The end,' Lily read to Cassie, her old fairytale book balanced on her lap. Cassie sighed.

  'I wish I'll get a prince like Cinderella did,' Cassie said wistfully. 'It'll be so romantic, wouldn't it, Lily?'

  Lily opened her mouth to reply, but a string of laughter beat her to it. Lily spun around in annoyance.

  'James, buzz off!' Lily snapped.

  'Buzzzzzzz,' James buzzed.

  'Get lost!'

  'Can't, because I don't feel lost!'

  'Well, just leave us alone! Go away!'

  'Don't want to!!! Haha, little Cassiopeia's exactly like Lily ten years ago!' James laughed. 'Who would've guessed that tomboy and Cassie had the same dream, huh? Ha ha ha ha ha!'

  Lily felt her face burning hotly with humiliation at James's teasing comment. She don't like being reminded on how she was when she was younger: no way! She gritted her teeth.

  'Shut up! You're not invited!' she snarled.

  'Touchy, touchy,' James teased, dancing away.

  That was all it took to trigger Lily's vindictive, very tomboy-ish and definitely unlady-like side. She placed Cassie (who was sitting on her lap with her) on the sofa before chasing after James madly. They jumped onto the sofas, danced on the table, raced to the kitchens, to the stairs, back to the sofas and then the table.

  Cassie watched in great amusement.

  'Tomboy, tomboy!' James sang, childishly pulling a face at Lily, which angered her even more. 'Lily is a tomboy, Lily is a tomboy! Hey Cass! I bet you don't know that!!!'

  'Get back here, Potter!' Lily shrieked, running to strangle him. However, before she reached him, she tripped over Cassie's teddy, Mittsgy, who was unfortunately in Lily's way. Lily fell onto the floor clumsily. Cassie let out a cry of dismay.

  'Mittsgy! You poor, poor thing!! Evil Lily!!!' she wailed, picking Mittsgy up. 'You're hurt! Oh my, I'll bandage you up!! Lily must be very, very heavy!!!' she remarked dramatically. With that, Cassie ran off to search for a first-aid kit box.

  'Hey!! What about me?? I sprained my ankle! And I am NOT heavy for my age and height!!!!' Lily yelled. Cassie ignored her. 'Sheesh. Stupid kid. I'll be sure I skin her later.'

  'Tomboy sprained her ankle,' James sang cheekily. Lily glared.

  'You're not helping. And my wand's in my cupboard,' Lily informed him dryly. 'Help me onto the sofa, please.'

  James stared. 'Are you talking to me?'

  'Yes, who else is present? I don't think Peeves had the notion to leave Hogwarts just to follow us home and torture us. Hurry up! I can't sit here like this all night!' Lily said impatiently.

  'Why not?'

  'Because I'll catch a cold and you'll have to take care of me. Now would you like that?' Lily demanded.

  'Maybe, maybe,' James considered.

  'Augh! You're hopeless! Pass me your wand, so I can heal myself!'

  'Don't you trust me to heal you?' James said, grinning. 'After all, it's my wand…'

  'No. You might make me break my arm. Or maybe make me grow an extra bone or something,' Lily replied curtly.

  James sighed before extending his arm. Lily grabbed it to pull herself up. Unfortunately, being on the ground increased her stablelity and Lily's bones are those of heavy types, since she's slim in figure and at an average height. The result: James fell on her.

  'Talk about accidents,' James groaned.

  'GET OFF ME!!!!!' Lily screeched.

  Being too near to Lily always disturbs James's self control. So much to Lily's horror and freaking surprise, James lean even closer and kissed her gently.

  'I'm still waiting, Lily,' James whispered into her ear. Lily blinked for a moment before realizing what he had said.

  'Oh, really? And what makes your ego think that my reply will be any different from the last time you asked me?' Lily said dryly.

  'Because school has ended and there'll be no more studies to keep your attention,' he replied. Lily fumed. So, he knew that! She racked her brains.

  'I'll be working soon,' she said matter-of-factly.

  'Soon isn't until September and it's only February,' James replied reasonably. 'And besides, I'll be at Hogwarts too. That is, if our applications are received.' Lily combed her cupboard of reasons again.

  'Well, I hate you!' she said brightly. Then added darkly, 'and your comment ten years ago won't help you! Hah!'

  'I take my words back. If I can't, I'll just say it again, in a different way,' James said humbly. 'I really don't think anyone would like you anymore, because you're going to be my wife before they can even try it!' Lily refrained from smiling on that bit of twist of words.

  'Uhm…' Lily frowned in thought. She was pretty much out of reasons to reject him now. Just then, it struck to her mind. 'You called me a tomboy. Sure no one would want to marry one, eh? What d'you say now, James Potter?' the girl said smugly.

  'You're a good tomboy,' he grinned toothily. 'The best one ever! That's why I love you.'

  Lily nearly growled in anger at the word Love, but decided against it. After all, she hadn't that much of hatred towards that boring emotion anymore.

  'Also, you know you can count on me to NOT to be like your dad, because my parents aren't that sort.'

  'Oh?'

  'People say that parents are what make the future parents?' James suggested, knowing full well that it sounded pathetic.

  'Oh? Really?' So it did. He tried again.

  'Really,' he said firmly. 'So what do you say now, Lily? Will you marry me?'

  'Marry you?!' Lily shrieked in horror.

  'Yes, please?' James turned on his best puppy-dog eyes to her. Lily turned away, refusing to meet his eyes. He gently cupped her face so that she did. 'Will you, Lily? I swear, I won't be like your dad.'

  'Dad left me this house,' Lily said flatly. 'And all of the inheritence and so on.'

  'Okay, I won't be his BAD side,' James said faithfully. 'Does that mean that you will, now?'

  Lily refused to be beaten. 'How would I know? You can double-cross me anytime!' Lily shot.

  'Can I get Sirius to vouch for that?'

  'No!! He'll forget it in two days.'

  'C;mon, Li, you know I love you too much to do that,' James said pleadingly.

  'Huh! Well what about my sprained ankle?' Lily demanded, remembering that she's still on the floor and her ankle is still groaning painfully. James lying on top of her isn't making things better.

  'Oh,' James said, grinning goofily. He tapped on her ankle and murmured the magical words. 'Anything else?'

  'Will you get off me??'

  'Will you marry me???'

  'I don't… love you,' Lily said, rather choked.

  'Yes you do.'

  'I DO NOT LOVE YOU!' she yelled again, her voice quavering. James bit his lips.

  'Lily. Lily, look at me,' he said gently, holding her face firmly to face him. Her eyes were welled with tears and her nose a little runny. 'Lily, don't lie to me. I know you love me.'

  'You're not me,' Lily hissed.

  'No but I know that you love me. Don't lie to yourself, Lily,' James said quietly, his eyes reflecting her hurt ones. 'I know you for all – er, nearly all – of your life. Don't lie anymore…'

  Lily let out a sober cry before hugging James tearfully and sobbing. James froze awkwardly. He wasn't really expecting an outburst like this.

  'Er. Are you okay?'

  'Do I LOOK like I'm okay? WAAAAAAAH!' Lily cried.

  'No,' he said in agreement. 'But really, I don't get the "waah" part.'

  'Do not try funny things now!'

  'I'm not trying.'

  'Good, then.'

  And the next few minutes were full of Lily sobbing.

  'So will you marry me?' James asked her again after she had calmed down.

  Lily choked and hiccupped and sniffed. 'I- I will,' she muttered quietly. Her chokes and sobs faded.

  'Sorry? I didn't hear you Lily,' James said. That was impossible and could hardly be passed, because their lips were only about two to three inches apart, but James decided to enjoy himself a little.

  'I said yes!!! Now get off me!' Lily yelled in his ear, her normal state of mind returning to her. Grinning happily at his achievement, James stood up and helped his new fiancée up before kissing her passionately.

  'I'm glad that you had decided to say so,' he whispered. Lily smiled wanly.

  'See, Mittsgy? They do live happily ever after!' Cassie said to her teddy, sitting on the sofa. The couple broke up at once with a jump.

  'Cassie! What on earth are you doing here?' Lily stuttered.

  'Warkh! It's not the end yet, Mittsgy!' Cassie cried. 'Lily decides to yell at narrator Cassiopeia Black and chase her to her room because it's way past her bedtime!!!'

  'Very right,' James said. 'So get back to your room, Cassie!' The girl got up reluctantly.

  'Well Mittsgy, how do you like my part of the story?' Cassie said to her bear. 'Do you think Sirius and Spica'll want to hear it? They do? Cool! I can be the next storyteller!! Yarnspinner on the breaking record of mark!!!'

  'Get back to bed!' Lily called. 'And not a word to your brother and sister!!!'

  'Cassiopeia Black wins the away of great story…'

  'CASSIOPEIA BLACK!!!' Lily and James both yelled at once.

  'Umhm,' Spica said. 'Just as Cassie had said. Lovely, isn it brother dear?'

  'Spectacular,' Sirius said happily, his camcorder on his lap. Lily and James spun around in surprise.

  'When did you all come?' James stammered.

  'Well, we just returned from work,' Remus said cheerfully, 'when we got a phone call from Cassie about watching a great movie at your place. We rushed here, hoping that it had just started.'

  'Sirius brought the camcorder because he said that he want to record how Lily and James fight over the volume,' Peter added.

  'Cassie is going to regret her choices,' James gritted.

  'So regret it, because her life will be far worst than Petunia's!' Lily vowed in agreement. Sirius let out a wolf whistle to remind them that he's still there.

  'The movie was superbly down, Prongs!' he said, laughing. 'Would you like to see it again?' The group of four on the three-seated sofa rushed off  hurriedly through the door, knowing that the tape will sooner be destroyed than watched again.

  'And they live happily ever after. Or at least, for now,' Cassie said softly from the stairs. 'The end! I really should get an award for storytelling, huh Mittsgy? Yeppers. I knew you'd agree with me.'

~*~

Disclaimers: All characters but Spica Black, Cassiopeia Black, Tippy Gleste, Lisa Evans, Harold Gish [appeared only once in chapter 1], Owly the (Popular) Owl, Mittsgy the Teddy and Billy Evans [only mention, no appearance] belong to Joanne Kathleen Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Claimers: Spica Black, Cassiopeia Black [aka Cassie/Cass], Tippy Gleste, Lisa Evans, Harold Gish, Owly the (Popular) Owl, Billy Evans, Mittsgy the Teddy and the characters's personality and appearance belong to me, as did the plot and story and whatever else I'd forgotten. Oh, philosophy mine is included too.

AN: Da-dang!!!!!!! IT'S FINISHED!!!!!!! I'm a genius—not! So, is it less stupid than Masquerade or… maybe better? I don't know. I haven't had anyone reading this work before I posted it. So, I'd finished it and I'm not going to make any comments about why this chapter's short o_O how can I? After all, I couldn't make it drag all the time and I'd been rather rushed too! Eeps. Is it rushed??? I hope not…

  The nice, nice people who reviewed for me, thank you very much!!!! Noelle, Misty Alanna Potter, Britz, ~*Crystal Lily*~, AmiAmiNSusu, Silverfire, NAPPA, Satans Little Princess, Naeginnie6, Peppermint Patty, Nettey Potter, Sweet Thang, Parselmouth Majere, tigerlilyanncp, KittyKat, hazel dreamer, The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass, Saphire, Quack Quack 88, JunJun, annamananna, Star Fish, *pRiNcEsS*, The Dreamkeeper, nina, tyrena22, WolfieGrl, Alexandra, betina, FireMaster, ole' green eyes, Minilioness, O'Haragal, Pschan_88 [evil girl—refused to review again!! ^_-] and jinskid3: Thank you!!!!!

  And yes, I list every single person :P unless, of course, the review's after this chapter… that I couldn't add! Some people never review after they last review, but I just couldn't bring myself to care, because I was happy that I was reviewed!! :P pathetic, aren't I??? Er, yes, I suppose so *cries, wondering why is she getting so over-dramatic over these stuff*

Spica is pronounced Spy-ka or Spike-a or however you want the spelling to be! :P and you can all dearly wish for the sequel, because there would be none unless I'd finished my The Marauding Five and am bored to death ^_^ which *thinks for a while* I think I posted it with this chapter… I'd better check.

  Thank you so much for reading and bearing with me for this whole fic! *bows traditional Japanese style* if you don't mind, please review for me, too…? Thank you!

The mad bunny at her crazy "romantic" schemes again…

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( '.' )~* bunny chan