A/N: Thank you, my darlings, for the wonderful reviews. I'm sorry that this chapter is short, but I felt awful for making you wait so long as it is...I know this is majorly lacking in humor right now, but I'm going to try to make it funnier in the next few chapters. :)



Chapter 13: The Dress



"Sirius, dear?" Mrs. Evans asked as she made her way into the living room, her husband right behind her.

"At your service," Sirius responded with a cheeky grin. "How may I help you, madame?"

"Well," Mrs. Evans said, "You see...James and Lily are kind of...gone."

"Gone?" Sirius repeated, sounding a bit confused.

"Well, yes-"

Mrs. Evans's explanation was cut short by a shallow, horrified gasp from Sirius.

"GONE!?" Sirius repeated in a tone of utmost tragedy, lifting his hand to his forehead and staggering dramatically towards the sofa. "GONE?! Lily and James...GONE?!"

"Yes, gone," Mrs. Evans said impatiently. "Now, Sirius, we need you to-"

"I don't think I can carry on anymore!" Sirius announced, falling to the sofa and practically knocking it over in the process. In a faint, raspy whisper, he said, "Please...tell Petunia...how much I love her...JUST KIDDING!"

And with that, he sprang off of the couch, healthy as could be.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans exchanged exasperated expressions.

"Are you sure we should ask him to do this?" Mr. Evans muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"What other option do we have?" Mrs. Evans responded through her fake smile. She then focused her attention on Sirius once more. "Now, dear, we have something that we need you to do-"

"Sirius Black at your service, sir! Er...ma'am," Sirius cut off, bringing his hand to his forehead in a choppy salute.

"We're going to regret this," Mr. Evans announced in a sing-songy voice from behind his wife's back. She ignored him.

"What we need you to do, Sirius," Mrs. Evans said, sitting down onto the sofa and beckoning for him to do the same, "Is go find Lily and James, who are probably somewhere in the wizarding world, and convince them to come back home."

Sirius raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. "And this is supposed to be difficult?"

"Well," Mrs. Evans said uneasily, "They may be a bit...reluctant to come home. My husband-" she shot a dirty look in Mr. Evans's direction, "-hasn't been the nicest to James, and he did something to make Lily a bit angry."

"When you say a bit angry, do you mean a bit angry or positively-red-eyed-be-afraid-and-run-for-your-lives-for-the-love-of-God-and-all-things-holy angry?"

"Er...answer B," Mrs. Evans responded. "Now, Sirius, you have to be serious. PLEASE talk them into coming home..."

Sirius, who had been cackling rather wickedly and rubbing his hands together in devious glee, stopped short. With a look of pure and utter innocence, he responded sweetly, "Of course, Mrs. Evans."

"You're asking for it," Mr. Evans informed his wife in a low whisper. "You're asking for it. And you're going to get it too, ya know that? This kid is DANGEROUS. He's-"

"Shut. Up," Mrs. Evans ordered dangerously. Immediately Mr. Evans shut his mouth. "Now, Sirius, are you sure that you can handle this alone? Maybe we should go with you..."

Sirius's angelic smile turned for a split-second into one that could rival one of Satan's evil grins.

"Of course," Sirius said sweetly. "There is nothing that I'd like to do more."

"We're dead," Mr. Evans announced grimly. "Dead."



~*~

Lily awoke to the ever-peaceful sound of birds singing cheerfully outside her window the next morning. She climbed out of her canopy bed (which probably cost more than her entire house), stretched, and stared around the guest bedroom once more in awe.

Why was it that James had this much money, and yet for the past four birthdays she'd had he'd given her FLOWERS or something equally inexpensive?

"Cheapskate," Lily mumbled under her breath as she made her way over towards the full-length mirror to check her reflection. With her messy hair and eyes framed by dark circles, she didn't match the extravagantly decorated bedroom at all.

A soft knock sounded on the door, and Lily slowly made her way over to answer it. Mrs. Potter stood outside her doorway, a smile on her face and something white and satin in her arms.

"Good morning, dear!" James's mother greeted her with a pleasant smile.

"Morning," Lily responded, grinning in return.

"Now, dear, I brought you this...perhaps you could try it on."

And with that, Mrs. Potter shook out the garment that had been hanging over her arm to display the most beautiful wedding dress Lily had ever seen. It was the exact shade of freshly fallen snow, and the fabric was so smooth that it practically seemed to sparkle. On closer inspection, Lily discovered that it did-most likely some sort of charm.

"It's beautiful," Lily breathed, gingerly touching the fabric.

"It was mine," Mrs. Potter smiled. "Though I'm sure it will look much more stunning on you, dear."

Lily couldn't bring herself to accept the dress-it seemed much too beautiful to be held by anyone.

"Go ahead, take it," Mrs. Potter said warmly. "Try it on, dear."

Lily accepted the dress, and with a final smile, Mrs. Potter turned and left the room. Sighing, she slipped out of her nightdress and pulled the wedding gown on. After zipping up the back, she gingerly made her way over to the mirror, wondering how foolish someone as plain as her would look in a dress so beautiful.

But to her surprise, the dress actually looked all right on her. It fit perfectly, and just seeing herself in something so beautiful seemed to give her enough confidence to grow more lovely herself.

She heard someone knock on the door, and before she could call to let them in, the door swung open.

"Lily?" James called tentatively.

Lily turned around to see him standing in the doorway, staring at her in absolute awe.

"Hey, sweetie," she greeted him. "You like it?"

"Y...you could say that," James stammered, his cheeks flushing adorably. "You look....amazing."

"Well, you think it's wedding-dress-worthy?"

James's cheeks turned even redder, and he nodded. "Definitely."

"Then get out," Lily snapped playfully. "Isn't it bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding?"

"That's if the wedding is soon, I believe," James responded cheerfully. "But if you insist."

"I do," Lily said teasingly. "I think I'm going to be the cruel girlfriend I'm not and not let you see me any longer so you'll only have the briefest of memories of my beauty until our wedding."

"Sounds super," James drawled sarcastically. "I'll just go, then. It's obvious I'm not wanted here."

"Are you wanted anywhere?" Lily called after him laughingly as he shut the door.

"And everywhere, my darling!" his muffled tone called poetically.

Rolling her eyes, Lily turned back and inspected her reflection once more. It was strange, the thought that this is how the fabric would feel against her skin, this is how her complexion would contrast with her gown on the day when she would become Mrs. James Potter.

Strange, yes, and a bit nerve-wracking, but at the same time, it gave Lily a strong sense of confidence.

She and James belonged together.