A/N: I'm sick so if this chapter is all weird, blame it on the fever.
Disclaimer: Anything Harry Potterish is not mine. The plot and a few characters are, so don't steal them. Don't sue me. I don't in any way, shape or form think that I invented Harry Potter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~
In the Dictionary
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Chapter Twelve
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Lily awoke when Lottie, the maid she had briefly met the day before, brought her a cup of tea and opened the drapes.
"Good morning, Ms. Evans," she cheerfully greeted.
"Hullo, Lottie."
"If you're feeling any better, Mr. Potter says that you two should be leaving around midday. Your color looks much better today, dear," the stout maid commented. Lottie reminded Lily of those grandmothers on Muggle television; she had steel-gray hair, small glasses, warm, faded-blue eyes and a perpetual smile on her face.
"Oh," she said, "Well tell him I'll be ready by then."
Lottie did as she was told and left the room.
Lily still wasn't feeling as well as she normally did, but she was well enough to travel. After showering and dressing in a white blouse and striped skirt, she packed up what little possessions she had with her. She carried her small suitcase down to the front parlor and sat on a delicate- looking settee as she waited for James.
James entered the parlor moments after Lily sat down. He greeted her with a warm smile.
"Morning, Love."
"Hello, James."
"Ready."
"More than you can even imagine."
James laughed at Lily's exaggeration. He then picked up her bag and loaded it into the car that they were driving.
The first thirty minutes of the trip passed uneventfully, but with each passing moment, Lily was finding it more and more difficult to think of things to say. She needed to keep talking to avoid awkward silences. James did his best to keep the conversation going, as well, but he was losing things to say.
After a two-minute break in talking in which Lily had said her last possible comment, James made a dreadful choice in topics.
"So," he began, "when did you get that?" He indicated the massive diamond on her finger.
Lily froze. This was the part she had been dreading. She searched his face for any signs of emotion, but, finding none, kept her mien calm.
"Andrew gave it to me just a few nights ago." Despite her efforts, there was still a slight tremor in her voice.
"Oh," was James' response.
Neither one knew what else to say so they remained silent. Thankfully, they arrived at the inn where the others were staying moments later.
It was an enormous relief to be surrounded by friends for Lily. The past day had been one of the most trying for her. The only thing she said to Diana and Hellen about the past day was that she had never been that sick in her entire life.
Lily didn't enjoy the holiday nearly as much as she thought she would. She assumed it was due to the fact that James was there. If only he would go away, she might have a chance at being remotely happy.
Lily returned home to find her parlor littered with tokens of Andrew's love. He had spared no expense on her. He bought her a pair of white gold earrings. They were too large for Lily and the square, bulky style didn't appeal to Lily at all.
On one of the marble end tables sat a massive bouquet of white lilies. Attached was a note that Lily discarded. She wasn't in the mood to read romantic little notes. She had one of the house elves clear away all of the gifts.
Andrew paid a visit to Lily the following evening.
"Oh Andrew I am so excited about our wedding!" Lily falsely exclaimed.
"That's what I need to talk to you about," he said anxiously.
"What do you mean?" she asked, allowing her enthusiasm to diminish.
"Lily, I want you to come to South Africa with me," he blurted.
Lily stared at him for a minute before the impact of Andrew's request settled in. "You mean move?"
"Yes," he said, taking both her hands in his, "I want you to come to South Africa with me. You'll love it there. We can get married and you can meet all of my family and friends."
"Oh," Lily softly said. Move to South Africa? Leave everything she held dear behind? Escape James? Yes, that was what she needed; that was what she wanted. "I'll go, Andrew. I'll go."
"Wonderful! I'll arrange it all with the Department of Magical Traveling."
"I have a lot of things t do now Andrew. I'll go home and start packing." She kissed him on the cheek and apparated to her home with a soft pop.
"Moving?" sputtered Diana. "You can't be moving."
"Do you realize what this means Lily?" asked Hellen. "You'll be all alone in a strange country."
"I won't be all alone," said Lily with a wave of her hand. "I'll have Andrew."
Hellen looked as if she wanted to say something to counter Lily's words, but held back.
Diana was noticeably more subdued. "I guess that if you have to move, the best thing we can do for you is to help you. C'mon, we can go help you pack."
"We don't have to do any of that now," declared Hellen. Lily was surprised; she had never seen Hellen be this domineering. "Lily, you'll have another week at least until you have to move."
The three of them heavily retired to their separate rooms for the night. Lily wondered what she was getting herself into, but stopped, reminding herself- she had all day tomorrow to worry about anything.
"What?" asked James when Lily told him and Sirius her big news. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into? You know this chap for all of four months and you run off to some foreign country with him?"
"I don't need your approval James. I'm going whether you like it or not. You haven't the power to stop me," responded Lily with gritted teeth.
"Fine, Lily. You want to ruin your life? Go ahead. I won't force you to listen to common sense. It obviously left you months ago." James gave Lily a patronizing glare.
That was the last straw for Lily. No one patronized Lily Evans soon- to-be Alberts. She apparated out of the house and went directly to her owl. She quickly scribbled down a note to Andrew and attacted it to her owl's leg. It read:
Andrew,
Let's leave tomorrow. I simply can't wait to be in your homeland. I refuse to wait any longer than I have to.
Love. Lily
Lily used up magic to pack up all her clothes. She wouldn't bring any of her furniture with her. She was just sealing a box of winter cloaks when Diana entered her room.
"So you're really leaving, are you?" Diana took one look around and looked like she was ready to cry.
Lily crossed to room and pulled Diana into a warm hug. "Oh Di, I really don't want to leave you and Hellen, but I have to. You understand don't you?"
"I really don't Lily. I don't understand while you have to marry some man who will take you away from us, but it doesn't really matter. Just don't forget about us Brits here; and make sure you call us to be your bridesmaids."
"I've still got tonight here," said lily with false cheer. "We can have one more night of fun and you and Hellen can always visit me."
If the parting with Diana was hard, the parting with Hellen was ten times more so. She wasn't happy at all. She wasn't mad at anybody, but she was mad at the situation.
"Lily why are you leaving? Once you're gone, nothing will ever be the same. Is all the pain you're causing really worth Andrew?"
All Lily could do was bow her head. She couldn't stand seeing Hellen this unhappy. Her mein changed Hellen's attitude completely.
"What am I saying? This whole thing must be a hundred times worse than what you're going through. You'll always be one of my greatest friends. I'll do my best to support you, just as long as you send us an owl every once and a while." Lily laughed at Hellen's declaration.
The three girls spent the night rifling through their old Hogwarts things. Lily couldn't remember when she had had more fun. Around three 'o clock, they were too tired to do anything else but sleep. They fell asleep in sleeping bags on the floor of the parlor like a few twelve year olds.
Lily said one last goodbye to her friends before she left. "Promise to say goodbye to Sirius Remus and Peter for me.and James" she added as an afterthought. The two others assured her that they would. Andrew picked Lily up at the manor. She gave it one last look, knowing it wasn't going to be the last time she ever saw it, and left.
"We're taking a Portkey," Andrew informed Lily. "It's this sweet wrapper and it will bring us to the entrance hall of my home. Now take hold, it'll be going off in just a few more seconds."
True enough, Lily had not been holding the Portkey more than ten seconds before she felt that unique jolt in her stomach. She closed her eyes, for the swirling shapes made her dizzy. When she and Andrew could let go of the sweet wrapper, what she saw took her breath away.
It was one of the most beautiful halls she had ever seen. Two grand staircases bordered a towering waterfall. The rest of the hall was covered in a dazzling shade of gold, and the floor was black marble.
"Gorgeous isn't it?" whispered Andrew into her ear. Lily could only nod in agreement. Andrew was about to tell her something about the room when a petite woman entered the hall.
"Andrew, dearest, it's been too long. I've missed you terribly." She looked around him and spotted Lily. "Oh this must be my future daughter-in- law. How was your trip?" Lily studied Mrs. Pitington's appearance. Her tailored set of charcoal robes gave the impression on style and her blonde French knot implied elegance.
"Come, Lily," she said. "I want to give you the grand tour of our home. Andrew is going to get settled so it'll just be the two of us." She gave Lily a warm smile. "You can call me Marian. Mrs. Pitington is just too formal."
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To make a long story short, My computer froze and in doing so deleted all that I had written since my last save. So sorry, but rewriting all that stuff was not cool, so...
Here's what happened in the last part of the chapter.
Marian gives Lily a tour of the house The hall was built by Andrew's great-grandfather to show his love for his wife Lily meets Ian, Andrew's younger brother Lily goes off and has dinner with the family for the first time.
Ugh! It sounds so awful when I write it like that, but I REFUSE to rewrite. I'm taking a stand. I know don't know what for and to whom I'm making in, but I'm making it.
I deleted the old author's note, just because I'm over it and my story should be too.
Disclaimer: Anything Harry Potterish is not mine. The plot and a few characters are, so don't steal them. Don't sue me. I don't in any way, shape or form think that I invented Harry Potter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~
In the Dictionary
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~
Chapter Twelve
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~
Lily awoke when Lottie, the maid she had briefly met the day before, brought her a cup of tea and opened the drapes.
"Good morning, Ms. Evans," she cheerfully greeted.
"Hullo, Lottie."
"If you're feeling any better, Mr. Potter says that you two should be leaving around midday. Your color looks much better today, dear," the stout maid commented. Lottie reminded Lily of those grandmothers on Muggle television; she had steel-gray hair, small glasses, warm, faded-blue eyes and a perpetual smile on her face.
"Oh," she said, "Well tell him I'll be ready by then."
Lottie did as she was told and left the room.
Lily still wasn't feeling as well as she normally did, but she was well enough to travel. After showering and dressing in a white blouse and striped skirt, she packed up what little possessions she had with her. She carried her small suitcase down to the front parlor and sat on a delicate- looking settee as she waited for James.
James entered the parlor moments after Lily sat down. He greeted her with a warm smile.
"Morning, Love."
"Hello, James."
"Ready."
"More than you can even imagine."
James laughed at Lily's exaggeration. He then picked up her bag and loaded it into the car that they were driving.
The first thirty minutes of the trip passed uneventfully, but with each passing moment, Lily was finding it more and more difficult to think of things to say. She needed to keep talking to avoid awkward silences. James did his best to keep the conversation going, as well, but he was losing things to say.
After a two-minute break in talking in which Lily had said her last possible comment, James made a dreadful choice in topics.
"So," he began, "when did you get that?" He indicated the massive diamond on her finger.
Lily froze. This was the part she had been dreading. She searched his face for any signs of emotion, but, finding none, kept her mien calm.
"Andrew gave it to me just a few nights ago." Despite her efforts, there was still a slight tremor in her voice.
"Oh," was James' response.
Neither one knew what else to say so they remained silent. Thankfully, they arrived at the inn where the others were staying moments later.
It was an enormous relief to be surrounded by friends for Lily. The past day had been one of the most trying for her. The only thing she said to Diana and Hellen about the past day was that she had never been that sick in her entire life.
Lily didn't enjoy the holiday nearly as much as she thought she would. She assumed it was due to the fact that James was there. If only he would go away, she might have a chance at being remotely happy.
Lily returned home to find her parlor littered with tokens of Andrew's love. He had spared no expense on her. He bought her a pair of white gold earrings. They were too large for Lily and the square, bulky style didn't appeal to Lily at all.
On one of the marble end tables sat a massive bouquet of white lilies. Attached was a note that Lily discarded. She wasn't in the mood to read romantic little notes. She had one of the house elves clear away all of the gifts.
Andrew paid a visit to Lily the following evening.
"Oh Andrew I am so excited about our wedding!" Lily falsely exclaimed.
"That's what I need to talk to you about," he said anxiously.
"What do you mean?" she asked, allowing her enthusiasm to diminish.
"Lily, I want you to come to South Africa with me," he blurted.
Lily stared at him for a minute before the impact of Andrew's request settled in. "You mean move?"
"Yes," he said, taking both her hands in his, "I want you to come to South Africa with me. You'll love it there. We can get married and you can meet all of my family and friends."
"Oh," Lily softly said. Move to South Africa? Leave everything she held dear behind? Escape James? Yes, that was what she needed; that was what she wanted. "I'll go, Andrew. I'll go."
"Wonderful! I'll arrange it all with the Department of Magical Traveling."
"I have a lot of things t do now Andrew. I'll go home and start packing." She kissed him on the cheek and apparated to her home with a soft pop.
"Moving?" sputtered Diana. "You can't be moving."
"Do you realize what this means Lily?" asked Hellen. "You'll be all alone in a strange country."
"I won't be all alone," said Lily with a wave of her hand. "I'll have Andrew."
Hellen looked as if she wanted to say something to counter Lily's words, but held back.
Diana was noticeably more subdued. "I guess that if you have to move, the best thing we can do for you is to help you. C'mon, we can go help you pack."
"We don't have to do any of that now," declared Hellen. Lily was surprised; she had never seen Hellen be this domineering. "Lily, you'll have another week at least until you have to move."
The three of them heavily retired to their separate rooms for the night. Lily wondered what she was getting herself into, but stopped, reminding herself- she had all day tomorrow to worry about anything.
"What?" asked James when Lily told him and Sirius her big news. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into? You know this chap for all of four months and you run off to some foreign country with him?"
"I don't need your approval James. I'm going whether you like it or not. You haven't the power to stop me," responded Lily with gritted teeth.
"Fine, Lily. You want to ruin your life? Go ahead. I won't force you to listen to common sense. It obviously left you months ago." James gave Lily a patronizing glare.
That was the last straw for Lily. No one patronized Lily Evans soon- to-be Alberts. She apparated out of the house and went directly to her owl. She quickly scribbled down a note to Andrew and attacted it to her owl's leg. It read:
Andrew,
Let's leave tomorrow. I simply can't wait to be in your homeland. I refuse to wait any longer than I have to.
Love. Lily
Lily used up magic to pack up all her clothes. She wouldn't bring any of her furniture with her. She was just sealing a box of winter cloaks when Diana entered her room.
"So you're really leaving, are you?" Diana took one look around and looked like she was ready to cry.
Lily crossed to room and pulled Diana into a warm hug. "Oh Di, I really don't want to leave you and Hellen, but I have to. You understand don't you?"
"I really don't Lily. I don't understand while you have to marry some man who will take you away from us, but it doesn't really matter. Just don't forget about us Brits here; and make sure you call us to be your bridesmaids."
"I've still got tonight here," said lily with false cheer. "We can have one more night of fun and you and Hellen can always visit me."
If the parting with Diana was hard, the parting with Hellen was ten times more so. She wasn't happy at all. She wasn't mad at anybody, but she was mad at the situation.
"Lily why are you leaving? Once you're gone, nothing will ever be the same. Is all the pain you're causing really worth Andrew?"
All Lily could do was bow her head. She couldn't stand seeing Hellen this unhappy. Her mein changed Hellen's attitude completely.
"What am I saying? This whole thing must be a hundred times worse than what you're going through. You'll always be one of my greatest friends. I'll do my best to support you, just as long as you send us an owl every once and a while." Lily laughed at Hellen's declaration.
The three girls spent the night rifling through their old Hogwarts things. Lily couldn't remember when she had had more fun. Around three 'o clock, they were too tired to do anything else but sleep. They fell asleep in sleeping bags on the floor of the parlor like a few twelve year olds.
Lily said one last goodbye to her friends before she left. "Promise to say goodbye to Sirius Remus and Peter for me.and James" she added as an afterthought. The two others assured her that they would. Andrew picked Lily up at the manor. She gave it one last look, knowing it wasn't going to be the last time she ever saw it, and left.
"We're taking a Portkey," Andrew informed Lily. "It's this sweet wrapper and it will bring us to the entrance hall of my home. Now take hold, it'll be going off in just a few more seconds."
True enough, Lily had not been holding the Portkey more than ten seconds before she felt that unique jolt in her stomach. She closed her eyes, for the swirling shapes made her dizzy. When she and Andrew could let go of the sweet wrapper, what she saw took her breath away.
It was one of the most beautiful halls she had ever seen. Two grand staircases bordered a towering waterfall. The rest of the hall was covered in a dazzling shade of gold, and the floor was black marble.
"Gorgeous isn't it?" whispered Andrew into her ear. Lily could only nod in agreement. Andrew was about to tell her something about the room when a petite woman entered the hall.
"Andrew, dearest, it's been too long. I've missed you terribly." She looked around him and spotted Lily. "Oh this must be my future daughter-in- law. How was your trip?" Lily studied Mrs. Pitington's appearance. Her tailored set of charcoal robes gave the impression on style and her blonde French knot implied elegance.
"Come, Lily," she said. "I want to give you the grand tour of our home. Andrew is going to get settled so it'll just be the two of us." She gave Lily a warm smile. "You can call me Marian. Mrs. Pitington is just too formal."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~
To make a long story short, My computer froze and in doing so deleted all that I had written since my last save. So sorry, but rewriting all that stuff was not cool, so...
Here's what happened in the last part of the chapter.
Marian gives Lily a tour of the house The hall was built by Andrew's great-grandfather to show his love for his wife Lily meets Ian, Andrew's younger brother Lily goes off and has dinner with the family for the first time.
Ugh! It sounds so awful when I write it like that, but I REFUSE to rewrite. I'm taking a stand. I know don't know what for and to whom I'm making in, but I'm making it.
I deleted the old author's note, just because I'm over it and my story should be too.