A/N: I apologize sincerely for the length of this chapter – but hey, it's nothing but pure, undiluted fluff, which is something we all need once in a while, right? Review, please! Thanks to Xaviera Xylira and my wonderful lone beta, ReineDansante.
Bella
The Story of Lily
Chapter 19: Of Weddings, Quidditch, and Scary Jokes
Can't you see
There's a feelin' that's come over me
Close my eyes
You're the only one that leaves me
Completely breathless
~Michelle Branch, "You Set Me Free"
Ding, ding.
Lily looked up from her position behind the checkout counter. A person tightly bundled up came in, and quickly shut the door to prevent any of the blizzard going on outside from coming into the bookstore. Oh, well. The person would ask if they needed any help.
Lily turned her attention back to the Daily Prophet in front of her. On the front, they had started a list of all the people who had fallen prey to Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, whose slaughter of wizards and Muggles alike had recently been raised to new heights. She flipped from to the next page, and gasped when she came upon a picture of herself, helping a customer. The headline read, "The Adviser as a Sales Clerk?"
Lily Evans, the Adviser, and niece of the late Violet Wellington-Black, writes Ophelia Jones, Special Correspondent, has the wizarding world quite stumped. Many have spotted her working in Diagon Alley, in the bookstore Flourish and Blotts, and everyone has one question: has our Adviser gone mad?
It is common knowledge that Miss Evans is close with the senior members of the Ministry – her best friend, Gwendolyn Watson, is none other than the daughter of the Minister – and has also graduated from the Auror Academy. So why has she started to work as a bookstore clerk?
"Miss Evans is taking a break," the former Assistant Minister of Magic, John Lupin, said curtly to us earlier in the week. "She is acting as a normal eighteen-year-old should."
Some, however, have different opinions of the lovely girl.
"Shirking her duties, she is," is the opinion of Mr. Lucius Malfoy. "She should be helping our cause in the fight against the Dark Lord."
Many agree with Mr. Malfoy. Is Miss Evans trying to escape the duties that come with her powers? Has she suddenly decided she doesn't want to be an Auror, much less the Adviser? Others wonder about the large diamond ring that sits on her finger. Has Miss Evans found someone, and is that why she isn't serving for the common good? I think this reporter speaks for everyone when I say, I don't want an Adviser who cannot see where she should be putting her talents, and we wonder: is she related to the Violet Wellington we all remember, who gave her life to save her niece? The Minister should perhaps think twice about letting this young woman, when she chooses, to join the Ministry.
"Not very nice, is it?"
Lily winced, but forced herself to meet the eyes of Minister Watson.
"No, sir, it isn't."
He took in the bookstore with a closed expression on his face, though it didn't take a genius to tell he wasn't particularly happy. Lily sighed.
"Sir, I don't want to have a repeat of what happened at breakfast that morning-"
"And neither do I." He glanced at the manager, who looked slightly flustered to be talking to the Minister. "Might I borrow Lily for a bit? I'd like to take her out to lunch."
"Of – of course, sir!"
"Thank you." He nodded at Lily. "I'll wait for you to get your cloak."
Lily bit her lip and walked into the cloakroom silently. She didn't want to anger the Minister any more, and was already treading on thin ice with Gwen, so she thought it best to stay quiet and obey him. She grabbed her scarlet cloak, tied it over her green robes, and left the safety of the small room. She joined the Minister, and they exited the shot. Immediately, flashbulbs went off in front of them. A large gathering of press was eagerly shouting questions to the Minister and Lily. Lily cursed the reporter who wrote the piece on her in the Daily Prophet, but instead of pushing their way through the assembled media, the Minister stopped.
"Minister, how do you feel about the article written on Miss Evans?"
"Absolute codswallop, in my opinion," he said indignantly. "I agree with Mr. Lupin – she is acting exactly as she should be."
"And Miss Evans, your opinion on the piece?"
Lily breathed deeply. "Hardly any of it was true."
"Is it true that Miss Evans broke into your house and threatened to kill you?"
"Minister, are you and Miss Evans on good terms, then?"
"What are your views on Lucius Malfoy's comments?"
"Is she going to be working in the Ministry soon?"
"But what about the ring?" a woman young woman asked anxiously at Lily's left. "Is it an engagement ring?"
"That's the only part of the article that was true," Lily said, unconsciously playing with the ring. "I am engaged," she smiled.
"To whom, may we ask?"
"Yes, Miss Evans, who's the lucky man?"
Lily suddenly felt as though their business-y attitudes had evaporated. They were humans too, adoring a good love story.
She smiled again. "James Potter."
There were appreciative noises, and then almost silence, before they started asking questions again.
"Miss Evans, what do you feel about Mr. Malfoy's quote?"
Lily's eyes darkened. "He is the last person I would have expected to say something like that."
"Do you have plans to join the Ministry in the future?"
"I certainly hope so, that is, if Minister Watson will still take me," she smiled at him. This was alright, actually. Perhaps she was getting over her fear of being the center of attention.
Minister Watson smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "She is welcome anytime she wants," he chuckled.
"I'm just taking a break, like Mr. Lupin said. I hope to get married and settled down before I do anything with the Ministry."
"Have you set a date, Miss Evans?" the same young witch who had asked he about her ring said.
Lily smiled again. "Mid-June, we think."
"And, Miss Evans? How do you feel about the death of your longtime friend, Mary Katherine Wampler?" a hard male voice asked.
Lily swallowed, and looked down. The Minister, his voice also suddenly hard, said, "That will be all. Miss Evans has no comment."
And with that, he steered her through the press, and they ducked into the Leaky Cauldron. After being seated, ordering drinks and lunch, Minister Watson spoke up.
"Lily, believe it or not, I haven't come here to persuade you to come back."
She looked at him over her tankard of butterbeer. "You haven't?"
"No. I'm here on behalf of Gwen. She's worried sick that you blame her for everything."
Lily was incredulous. "The only reason why we haven't been talking is because I thought she was upset at me, because I got her in so much trouble and yelled at you!"
"No. She also thinks this whole big mess is her fault, when, in reality, it's mine. It didn't even cross my mind that she would drop by your house beforehand, though I suppose that's the mark of a good friendship."
Lily smiled slightly. She wasn't going to protest – she had done enough of that in the past month and a half. It was almost Christmas, after all.
"And – well, Elizabeth and I have discussed it, and we don't mean to make you uncomfortable if this isn't what you're planning on doing – but we think the real reason for her distress is because you haven't asked her to be the Maid of Honor, or even a bridesmaid yet. And you have begun planning, haven't you?"
"Yes, with Ella – and of course I want her to be my Maid of Honor," Lily said, putting her flaming red face in her hands. "I just – I wanted to do it when things weren't so weird between us."
"I think you need to talk things out with her."
"So do I."
"Why not invite her to dinner?"
Lily jerked her head up. "Tonight?!"
The Minister looked rather alarmed. "I didn't say that. But I think it should be soon – after all, Christmas is next week."
"I know," she said miserably. "May I change the subject for a minute?"
"You may."
"I was wondering – do you normally stop to chat with the press?"
"Ah, how very perceptive of you," he said, his eyes sparkling. "You see, speaking to you today killed two birds with one stone."
"How so?"
"The Daily Prophet got an anonymous call today, saying the Minister would be in front of Flourish and Blotts with Lily Evans around noon today."
Lily raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
"They all alerted everyone else, and so, we were able to quell those ridiculous rumors that we hated each other, and at the same time, have a nice conversation about Gwen. Though, that question about Mary Katherine signaled to me that that was enough."
"That makes sense," Lily said appreciatively. "But have rumors really said that we hated each other?"
The Minister chuckled. "That, and you threatened to kill me." He waved his hand dismissively. "Quite ridiculous."
Lily nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. They spent the meal talking about innocent things, and Lily told him about her wedding plans. When she could put work off no longer, they stood, and clasped hands. "I'll have Gwen over as soon as possible," she promised.
Minister Watson smiled. "That sounds wonderful, my dear. Goodbye for now!"
~*~*~*~*
A timid knock sounded on the front door. Lily jumped up from her seat and flung herself in front of Ella, preventing her from leaving to room and going into the kitchen.
"Don't leave me," she begged.
"Lilee," Ella said sternly, "go and geet ze door."
"Only if you swear to stay in the room."
"I will do no suzh sing! Go and geet ze door."
Lily whimpered.
"Why are yoo acting like yoo are facing yoor death? Go!"
Lily reluctantly moved aside and walked towards the big door, and heard Ella dart into the kitchen. She set her shoulders, and opened the door. Gwen stood on the porch, looking tense herself. They stared at each other for a moment, before Lily moved aside wordlessly, admitting her. They stood in the entrance hall silently, before Lily said, "Er – shall we sit?"
Gwen nodded, and they both moved into the living room and sat down. Lily played with the tassels on her chair, before Gwen interrupted the uncomfortable silence.
"Right, this is stupid."
Lily looked up to see Gwen's sapphire eyes blazing. "Stupid," she echoed.
"And I want you to know
that I don't blame you."
"And
I certainly don't blame you."
Gwen rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "That was hard, wasn't it?"
Lily had to smile. "Quite."
They were silent again, both not looking at the other, before Gwen interrupted the silence again. "So – want to tell me about your new job?"
"It's nice," Lily said, nodding. "Quiet, mostly – a lot of people don't want to brave this horrible weather."
"Yes, it is horrible, isn't it?"
"Very. I'm glad we'll have a white Christmas, though."
"Oh, yes. Me too."
"When is it supposed to clear up, again?"
"Hmm…I don't recall. I haven't been listening to the wireless lately."
"I'm afraid it's slipped my mind as well."
The silence descended upon them once more. What was that about? Lily thought furiously to herself. When have we talked about the weather?
"Fine conversation we're having," Gwen remarked, almost to herself.
Lily nodded. She didn't know if it would be appropriate to burst out laughing, like she felt like doing, but on the other hand, someone needed to break the ice.
"Lily."
Lily looked up into her best friend's pleading eyes. "Friends?"
Lily grinned. "Always, Gwen."
They hugged tightly, swearing never to go a month and a half (but who was counting?) without speaking again. Lily was feeling quite emotional when she pulled back.
Gwen looked at her excitedly through her own tears. "Tell me everything you've got for the wedding so far."
Lily launched into explaining the invitations, and what she and James decided to do: to honor Lily's mother, she and James would wear Muggle wedding clothes, and the rest of the party would wear wizard wedding robes.
"What color, do you know?" Gwen asked.
"Hmm…well, I want to have the wedding in the evening, out in the gardens…"
Something unsettling flitted across her mind, followed by something equally as disturbing. Who was going to walk her down the isle? And what would happen to the Wellington Mansion once Lily and Ella moved out?
"What's wrong?" Gwen asked curiously.
Lily swallowed, and put those thoughts away to ponder later. "Er – nothing. Oh, Gwen – please forgive me for not asking sooner, but – I want you to be my Maid of Honor."
Gwen's eyes filled with tears, and they hugged again. "Of course! I might not be coherent enough to hand you the rings, though," she gave a watery smile.
"I'll have Hayley and Celeste up there to help you, okay?" Lily smiled.
They chatted for a long time more, before Gwen remembered she told her mother she'd have dinner with her. After another tight hug, she left.
Lily sat down again. I have to have someone walk me down, she said, swallowing. And since I don't have a father, who could I use?
She jumped up suddenly, an idea forming in her mind. She quickly got powder to call James over. This idea would be perfect.
~*~*~*~*
"Ooh, where are they?" Gwen asked anxiously, pacing to the window again. Christmas Eve was the next day, and Lily was holding dinner at her house this night. She had politely requested that she, James, Sirius, and Gwen eat alone to Ella, who took it with a happy smile. Now she and Gwen were waiting for "those boys", who had said they would arrive together.
"They've been acting awfully secretive about something, though. And who knows what they've come up with. They're a bit too clever for their own good, you know." Lily pointed out, sipping tea, and perched on an armchair.
"I know," Gwen said, temporarily forgetting her anxiety and trading it for curiosity. "I pestered Sirius about it, and he didn't tell me, and even James didn't cave in, which surprised me. I think Peter and Remus are in on it, whatever it is, though they acted like they didn't."
"How is Peter?" Lily asked. She and the short boy had never been close, but she had always liked him.
"Fine, I suppose," Gwen shrugged. "Really into his new job."
"Yes…it's a mystery to me as to how he got into the Ministry."
"Me too! He wasn't very-" a
distant roaring made her stop. Lily set her teacup down and listened hard.
"It
sounds like a motor or something."
"You don't suppose they took a – a – what're they called? Flautamobiles?"
"Automobiles," Lily corrected. "Well, there's only one way to-"
She was cut off when the door opened, letting in a great rush of freezing cold air. James appeared in the doorway, his cheeks pink, a boyish grin on his face. He took Lily's hand in his gloved one and tugged.
"C'mon, Lils, Gwen! Sirius and I want to show you something!"
Lily gave Gwen a helpless look and was practically dragged outside, and Gwen followed with a roll of her eyes. There, in the middle of the snow-covered driveway, was a gleaming motorbike.
"What the hell is that?" was Gwen's dubious comment.
"Ah, Gwennie," Sirius said, shaking his hat-covered head sadly. "So young, so naïve."
He kissed Lily's cheek and Gwen's mouth, evidently not thinking she was too young to kiss, and gestured proudly to his bike. "This, my dear girls, is the product of all my hard work. James and I slaved over this baby for – how long, James?"
"Nearly two months," he said seriously.
"Yes, and you know it was hard, what with our busy social lives. Anywho, the unique thing about this seemingly-ordinary motorbike is that it flies."
"Damn well, too." James added.
"Of course."
"It flies?" Gwen said dubiously.
"Would I lie, lovie?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Not particularly."
"I didn't think so."
"Want to give it a spin?"
"I fancy living, actually."
"You're too stiff, Gwen."
"Too stiff!" she cried, putting her hands on her hips in disbelief. "I am not too stiff. Lily doesn't think I'm stiff."
"Of course not," Lily said, her face straight.
"Lils!" Sirius said as if suddenly seeing her, wrenching her hand out of James' grip and pulling her towards the bike. "You want to ride, don't you?"
"If James drives."
"Why do I get the feeling you don't trust me?"
"Because she doesn't, dolt," Gwen put in.
Sirius rounded on her. "Gwennie me dear, you always seem to forget one very important factor when we argue," he said, stepping up very close to her. Gwen was tall, but Sirius had a full four inches height advantage.
"And what is that?" she demanded, but grinning up at him anyway.
"I'm bigger than you."
And with that, he scooped her up and plopped her on the seat in front of him, and seconds later, they disappeared into the night, Gwen's shrieks audible.
"Seems you've been quite busy," Lily observed to James, who was standing a few feet behind her, with a smile.
He closed the distance between them quickly, gazing at her with that…that expression that drove her senses mad. "We have," he said, wrapping his arms around her.
"It's quite cold – let's go inside, where we can begin our dinner."
"And you're sure you still want to do this, love?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Surely you don't have any objections?"
"Of course not," he said hastily. "I was just making sure."
She smiled at him, and together they went into the house, laughing and talking quietly. Soon after, Gwen and Sirius appeared, flushed and beaming.
"Miss Lily, dinner is ready," Cookie said, coming out of the kitchen.
"Thank you, Cookie," Lily said graciously, and led her guests into the dining room. Over dinner (pasta) they talked much about the wedding, and Lily and James managed to get in a few good remarks about the status of Gwen and Sirius's relationship ("Have you still not asked her, Sirius?")
Afterwards, they retired to the living room with pie and drinks, and Gwen spoke.
"So – Sirius and I've decided you didn't just call us over to chat."
Lily smiled into her tea, and she and James traded looks. James nodded, and they both stood up. "Well, first, I suppose I should do the big thing – Gwen and Sirius, as you both know, Ella is going to move out of here and go back home once I move into Godric's Hollow, and, well, I'm giving this house to you."
Gwen's jaw dropped. "Giving-"
"To us?"
Lily smiled and nodded energetically. "Gwen gets half and Sirius gets half. And the other thing is really big too…" she took a deep breath. "Right, as you know, I haven't got a father. But, I do have a wonderful brother," tears stung her eyes, as Sirius's face paled. "-and I would be honored if you would walk me down the isle, Sirius."
"Me?" he croaked. Gwen gave a little sob and clutched James's hand.
"Yeah, you," she said, the tears spilling. Sirius stood and hugged her tightly.
"This is too much, Lils," he choked out. "I don't deserve this, really, I don't."
"Yes, you do," she whispered firmly. "You do. You've been there for me, and I know you always will be."
"I will," he said fiercely. "Always and forever, Lily. Always and forever."
~*~*~*~*
They walked among great grave stones; the only sound that rang through the air was the crunch of the snow under their feet. They stopped in front of the newest, and one of the biggest stones, forming a sort of semi-circle around it. James was the first to stir. He dropped to his knees in front of it, and brushed the snow off so everyone could clearly see the name Harry Kiser Potter engraved in it.
Lily looked at the woman to her right. Even now, after seven years of knowing her, Katharine Potter was still tall and beautiful, the epitome of grace. But lines of sorrow that had not adored her pale face were visible now, even more so than usual. It seemed to Lily that Katharine had no more tears to cry, but that wasn't the case for herself and Gwen. It had been on this day, exactly a year ago, that Lord Voldemort had murdered Harry Potter. They had stayed up until midnight the night before, but not much celebrating had gone on. It was now 1978, though, whether they liked it or not – another year.
It was physically hurting Lily to see James like this, anguished, going round as though he didn't care about anything, and she knew that he had to heal himself; she couldn't interfere. After a few more moments, the assembled (the Lupin's, Watson's, Black's, plus Lily and Ella) put down the flowers they had been carrying, and slowly trudged back to the Potter's house. There they had a very quiet dinner; the silence was only broken when someone asked for a dish to be passed or something of the like.
Then, a few days later, with great unwillingness, everyone went back to work. Lily didn't ask and wasn't told about the happenings of the Aurors, but that didn't stop her from thinking irrationally that that would be the last time she saw Gwen or Sirius or James. She did, however, ask about Agent Brodon; no one said anything, and Lily bowed her head.
She was quite content to work at Flourish and Blotts, and ever since the article in the Daily Prophet was published, the bookstore seemed to have more customers than usual. Some came up and demanded flatly if she was the Adviser. Lily would answer in the affirmative, and they would either walk away, tell her she was a fool for working in a lowly bookstore, or, rarely, someone would agree with her want of freedom. The manager didn't seem to mind Lily was being tormented – the only time he became upset was when the people left without a book.
Meanwhile, the wedding plans were going splendidly. Gwen, to many people's surprise except those who really knew her (she had long been fascinated with Muggle dresses), started to plan Lily's wedding gown. This was actually Lily's suggestion; it came about after one particularly exhausting day in late January, after they had been out shopping for a gown.
The two headed into yet another Muggle bridal boutique. Lily was ready to hang her best friend – no dress seemed to be good enough for Lily, in her opinion. Lily tried on a gown which she really, really liked. It was a white, shimmery satin with a deep neck and lace around the neckline, and a bow in the back, which was where the train would be attached. Lily went out of the dressing room, feeling sure that there would be nothing Gwen's critical eye would find displeasing.
Gwen looked at it, her eyebrows raised. "Turn," she commanded. Lily obeyed.
"Ah! This is simply spectacular on you, miss!" the shop owner said energetically. "And just wait until you lay eyes on the stunning train! Shall I go fetch it?"
"The bow's crooked," Gwen said suddenly. "Look. It's definitely crooked."
Lily clenched her teeth and spun around, the soft fabric swishing around her. "Fine, Gwen. Fine! You design my gown then, alright? So everything will be to your liking, Your Majesty!"
And with that, she stomped back into the dressing room, mad, but satisfied that she had sufficiently shut Gwen up, when she heard a loud, "Okay, Lily! I will!"
Lily came right back out again, practically half-naked. "You'll what?"
"I told you, I'll design the gown." Gwen's face was shining with the same passionate look she got on her face when she watched Muggle beauty pageants.
Lily looked at her for one long moment, before nodding. "Fine. But if you make me look horrid-"
"You have permission to never speak to me again," Gwen said confidently. "I'm going to start right now." She turned to the livid salesclerk. "Do you happen to have any paper lying round? And perhaps a quill?"
By late March, Lily was getting anxious. She still hadn't seen even the plans for the gown yet, and she was getting married in three and a half months. They had set the date and sent out the invitations – Lily Carolyn Evans and James William Potter would be wed on June 20, 1978.
And so, the bride-to-be found herself rapping on the Watson's door in early April. To her surprise, Ella answered the door.
"Lilee! 'ow wonderful to see yoo!"
"Why're you over here? And where's Gwen? I want to see my gown."
"Ah, love, I do sink you're going to 'ave to trust us on zis."
"What – you mean, I'm not going to see my wedding gown until the day I get married?"
Ella looked scandalized. "Of course not! We weel give yoo a week or so notice, darling! Now shoo!"
"That's lovely, thanks," Lily said sarcastically, but left anyway. She trusted Gwen and Ella. Most of the time, anyway.
Meanwhile, she busied herself with the other aspects of the wedding – buying the rings with James, planning out the dinner menu with Ella, picking out decorations (and putting them up) in the Potter's back yard. And, of course, dance lessons. They had to pull Celeste out of school specially one weekend so she could practice dancing in dress robes with Remus, her partner. Hayley would be partnered with Peter. Lily organized this because of height – Celeste was taking after her brother, and was fast approaching Gwen's height, and Hayley, while not petit, was shorter than Celeste – so everything would look even. Lily enjoyed these dance lessons immensely, with James counting softly in her ear, though both she and he didn't need it. She also suspected Gwen liked them as well, despite her vehement protestations.
Finally, as promised, the week before the wedding, Lily was summoned to the Watson's.
She Apparated in front of the familiar steps, mounted them, and knocked on the door. She was admitted by a glowing Hayley, and was curious to see all of the bridesmaids, Ella, Marie-Claire, Katharine, Elizabeth, Mrs. Lupin, Cookie, and Mrs. Wampler were all standing around, sipping champagne. There was a table against the wall filled with refreshments, and an assortment of brightly colored packages. When Lily entered, the women cheered, and someone thrust a flute of champagne into her hand.
"What – why are you all here?" she called.
"This is your bridal shower, dear!" Elizabeth cried. "And the formal presentation of your gown."
Lily surveyed their beaming faces. "Wait – have you all seen my gown?"
"Well…technically, yes," Hayley said, unable to keep the grin off her face.
"And – let me guess, you want to prolong me seeing it by throwing me a party?" Lily was starting to smile in spite of herself.
"Of course, dearie," Cookie said, raising her glass.
"Well, bring on the presents, then!" Lily said, and sipped her champagne. Immediately a chair was brought to her, and she sat; a gift was handed to her just as Gwen came down the stairs. Lily looked up at her best friend, a good-humored smile on her face. "Gwen? How's my dress?"
"Wonderful – I just had to arrange it." She grabbed a glass of champagne. "Shouldn't someone make a toast?"
"Oh – right. Gwen, what about you?" Elizabeth said hurriedly.
"No, I have to make a speech at the wedding, remember?"
"Fine. Right, to our lovely bride," Elizabeth said. "May she always feel the love that she shares with James – a love that only a choice few can find and keep."
"And let's pray no one messes up," Gwen added dryly.
"Here, here!" they chorused, and clinked glasses.
"Right – open your gifts, won't you? This one's from George and I," Elizabeth said, gesturing to the brightly lit package. Lily unwrapped it and took out a clock. It looked like a regular clock, but instead of numbers, it had things such as "Home", "Work", and "Lost" in their places. The long hand read "James" and it was pointed towards "Home" and the shorter hand said "Lily" and was pointing towards "Friend's House".
"What is this?"
"I got the idea from Arthur and Molly Weasley! It tells you where the family is so you'll always know! And there should be more hands in there – yes, so your family has room to grown…"
"Wow," Lily said, her face lighting. "This is wonderful! Thank you!"
"You're very welcome, my dear."
From Cookie she got a pot that resized itself to accommodate nearly anything, from Celeste it was a handmade cushion that said "The Potters" on it, from Ella it was a crystal vase from a famous Muggle jewelry maker called "Tiffany's", Hayley gave her monogrammed dressing gown, Marie-Claire gave her scented candles and bath soaps, Katharine gave her a huge silver platter with her and James's monogram engraved in the middle, Mrs. Lupin gave her matching serving spoons, and Mrs. Wampler's gift was a silver and gold picture frame.
"And now," Gwen said, taking her best friend by the wrist and pulling her up, "it's time to see The Dress."
Lily inhaled deeply, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Oh, God," she whimpered. Gwen looked slightly affronted.
"Don't you trust me?"
"Well…"
"Lily!
"Yes, yes, of course I do!"
Gwen said nothing, but her grip tightened painfully on Lily's wrist and she scowled. The other women were following them; Lily guessed they wanted to see her reaction more than they wanted to see the dress.
Gwen arrived in front of her door. "Here we are!" she said dramatically. She grinned evilly when she saw Lily was nearly wetting herself. "And here's the dress."
She opened the door, and the only thing Lily could do was gape. It was purple. No, scratch that – fuchsia would be a better word. It was all fluff and bows, with a high neck.
"Don't you love it?" Gwen said, her face shining. "Isn't it just wonderful?"
"Oh, yes," Lily lied swiftly, even though she felt tears coming to her eyes. "It's – it's lovely," she sniffed.
"Oh, honestly, Lily," Gwen said, shaking her head. "Do you really think I would make you wear that hideous thing? Finite Incantatem!"
Where the horrible fuchsia
dress had been, a sight to behold was there instead. Lily gaped this time, but
for entirely different reasons. It was solid white, thank heavens, satin, and
seemed to give off an ethereal light. The bodice was trimmed with pearls, going
down into a slight v, where the satin of the skirt billowed out. The neck was
square and low…the veil connected to a headpiece, and it was made of the
softest, transparent fabric. The train connected to a bow in the back and was
made of the same satin material as the dress and was spread out elegantly
around the mannequin that modeled the gown. This time, the tears did fall, and
she hugged Gwen blindly. "It's spectacular, Gwen. Absolutely spectacular."
When she pulled back, Gwen was
dabbing at her own sapphire eyes. "I just hope you don't expect me to get you a
gift," she sniffled.
Lily smiled, and felt tears well up again. "Of course not."
"Try eet on, Cheri. Gwen and I 'ave been dying to see eet on yoo," Ella said, dabbing at her own eyes. Lily hugged and thanked Ella as well, despite the Frenchwoman's protestations, and then went to try the dress on in Gwen's bathroom, Cookie walking behind her, holding the train. With the older woman's help, Lily managed to get into the dress, and immediately felt complete. She was born to wear this gown, she thought as she surveyed herself in the mirror.
The flecks of gold in her green eyes were definitely emphasized; the gold in her auburn hair showing up as it had never before. She fit perfectly into it, like a glove. Cookie was sobbing, and she opened the door for Lily and let her out.
A collective gasp went up, and if any eyes had been dry before, they definitely weren't anymore. Lily suddenly felt self-conscious, and smiled shyly. The women looked at her from all different views; they all fussed over the gown and her hair, and when Gwen put the pearl circlet in her hair, which had the veil attached, they all gasped, studied, and fussed over her again. Lily smiled. She could conquer the world in this gown – getting married would be a cinch.
~*~*~*~*
However, on the day of her wedding, she wasn't quite so sure.
She was awoken by Ella (she was crying already), who served her breakfast in bed. Since the wedding would take place at five thirty that evening, she was allowed to sleep late. Then it was straight to the Potter's, which had been set up as a home base. Lily was escorted by no less than five women into Mrs. Potter's large bedroom suite.
"Wait!" she finally cried out, before the strange looking hairstylist could touch her, "I need to see James."
Everyone began muttering.
"Lily, you're getting married in five hours-"
"Isn't she not supposed to see him?"
"What if we can't find him?"
"What if he's already dressed?"
"Isn't it only that Lily's not supposed to be dressed?"
"Hush!" she cried again. "Or did you all forget about the luncheon set up?"
"Ooh. Wow, good point, Lily," Gwen said, her eyes wide.
"Yes, I want to go eat lunch with James," Lily announced. "Someone needs to go find him, though."
"Oh, right." Celeste scampered off, and Lily and the bridal party (who were all makeup-free and clothed in their most un-flattering robes) went into the living room, where many of the men were gathered, all picking from the buffet. Celeste came back soon, looking peeved.
"You'll never, ever guess where they are," she said, a touch of sarcasm in her tone.
"No, they aren't," Lily said slowly, a grin forming on her mouth.
"Playing Quidditch?" Gwen exclaimed. "Ugh, they are such boys, I don't believe this!"
"Actually, Quidditch sounds
nice," Lily said thoughtfully.
"Lily,
have you gone mad?" said Gwen, her mouth open.
But Lily was already walking to the Quidditch pitch outside the Potter's house.
She craned her neck up and spotted James, Sirius, Remus, and even Peter flying
around. James spotted her and cried out, and seconds later, had landed in front
of her.
Lily was suddenly, embarrassed, for some inexplicable reason. She supposed it had to do with nerves, but, nevertheless, felt her treacherous face heat up. She looked away from him.
Seconds later, cool hands turned her face so she was facing James. He looked concerned. "Are you alright, Lils?"
Lily closed her eyes, reminded herself to breath, and felt the heat leave her face. "Yes," she murmured, opening her eyes. Her expression softened. "I love you."
"I love you too," he said quietly, cupping her chin and kissing her tenderly. Cheers and catcalls made them stop the kiss, and Lily shaded her eyes and grinned. The entire wedding party were holding broomsticks.
"Up to a game, Potter?" Sirius asked loudly, "or are you going to kiss her all day?"
James grinned. "That actually sounds good, but, is that a threat, Black?"
"Damn straight it is," Gwen called. "You in, Evans?"
"Yeah," Lily cried, taking the offered broomstick from her Maid of Honor.
"I've got it!" Hayley yelled excitedly. "Girls against boys!"
"Fine," James agreed, smiling. "That's even – one Seeker, one Chaser, one Beater, and one Keeper on each team."
"And let's have our bride and groom as captains," Gwen interjected. "So c'mon, Lily!"
The girls gathered in a small huddle. "Okay, Gwen, you're a Seeker, of course, and I'm only good as a Chaser," Lily looked at her other two bridesmaids pensively. "Any preferences, girls?"
Hayley and Celeste looked at each other and shrugged. "I'm pretty good as a Keeper," Celeste said.
"Good, then. Hayley, are you okay with being a Beater?"
Hayley grinned. "Sure. I've never tried that position before, but I'm always up to doing new things!"
"We're going to knock their pants off," Gwen whispered with an evil smile.
"Oy, Evans!"
Lily looked up at Sirius.
"What are those poor excuses for Quidditch players called?"
Lily turned back around with a questioning gaze.
"Lily's Bridesmaids!" called Hayley excitedly.
Gwen nodded importantly. "And what are those poor excuses for men called?" she yelled back. Celeste giggled, and Lily bit her tongue to stifle her own laughter.
Sirius looked as though he were desperately trying to come up with a clever name.
"How about, 'James's Groomsmen?" Peter said, his eyebrows raised.
"Good job, Wormtail!" Sirius called over his shoulder. Gwen rolled her eyes heavily.
"Fine. Are you ready?"
"We are," James said. "Prepare to lose, ladies."
"No, darling, I think it is you who should prepare to lose," Hayley said with a smirk.
"Right, they don't stand a chance. Lily's Bridesmaids on three!" Gwen cried, putting her hand in the middle. The other girls copied her. "One, two, three!"
"LILY'S BRIDESMAIDS!"
And so, the game began. Marie-Claire came out just as they were about to start, saying she would referee. She opened the crate of balls and blew a sharp note on her whistle. Eight brooms shot into the air, and Lily caught the Quaffle.
She streaked towards the goal on the opposite end, but was prevented when Sirius smashed a Bludger, purposely not hitting her, but enough to make her drop the Quaffle in surprise. She dove down to get it without thinking, and nearly collided with James, but managed to score. The boys groaned, the girls cheered. James scored three times after that, not giving Lily time to think. Hayley managed to hit him with a Bludger in the back; Sirius retaliated by hitting a Bludger at her, which she managed to deflect just in time.
Thirty minutes later, when the score was seventy to thirty, Lily called an impatient time-out. The girls landed on the side together.
"Listen!" Lily hissed, an idea coming to her quickly. "This is our game plan: diversionary tactics." She gave her friends meaningful looks. They caught on quickly – Celeste giggled rather hysterically, Hayley looked smug, and Gwen smirked.
Lily had done drills against James long enough to know what she had to do when they began again, Lily in possession of the Quaffle. She smiled flirtatiously, but didn't move. She saw with amusement that James was going through a fierce internal battle – should he rush and grab her and risk bruising her?
Lily didn't give him another chance to think. She dove down under him and back up, and was soon streaking down to the goal, which was guarded by Peter. She saw Sirius out of the corner of her eye; he didn't want to risk hurting her by hitting a Bludger at her. She found he must have decided that the girls' scoring was worse; she heard the heavy black ball as it whizzed past her ear. Still she managed to feint, and tucked the ball neatly away.
The girls cheered, the boys groaned. Lily gave James a wink and a smile, causing him to go slightly pale. Hayley gave her a discreet high five as she passed, both girls stifling laughs. Marie-Claire signaled the game to start up again; this time, James had the Quaffle. Lily went towards him and touched her hand out to stroke his cheek. He nearly dropped the Quaffle, and Lily ripped it out of his hands. She scored once more. When it was one hundred to seventy girls, the boys began to catch on. James planted a solid kiss on Lily's mouth as she grabbed the Quaffle, and she promptly dropped it. He winked at her as he passed, causing her mouth to go dry.
After Sirius prevented Gwen getting the Snitch by snogging her, and she had come to her senses and slapped him, Lily called a time out. The score was one hundred ten to one hundred, the boys.
"Gwen! Catch the Snitch!" she hissed, pushing sweat out of her eyes.
Gwen scowled. "What do you think I've been doing out there? Ballet?"
"No, you haven't been concentrating on your part of the game," said Lily. "Don't look at what I'm doing or what Celeste is doing – just concentrate on that Snitch!"
With a new determination the girls returned to the game. Celeste made a spectacular save; Hayley deflected Bludgers from her teammates like never before. Lily forced herself to not look at James, and Gwen forced herself to not look at Sirius.
Lily was about to score when Gwen dove steeply. Lily followed her eyes to a glittering gold ball with wings hovering near the bottom of on of the golden hoops. Remus was speeding towards it himself, a look of dread on his face, when Gwen pulled out of the dive victorious.
"Yes!" she yelled, clutching the golden ball tightly. Lily hugged her, followed by Hayley and Celeste, and Marie-Claire, smiling, called out the final score:
"Two 'undred-fiftee to one 'undred-ten! Congrashulations, girls!"
Lily turned to James, grinning. "Do you still want to marry me, even though we beat the pants off of you?"
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yes. You never cease to amaze me – that was wonderful flying."
"You mean, you weren't going easy on me?" she asked with amusement, her eyebrows raised, and her arms around his waist.
They both winced when they heard Sirius loudly calling for a rematch, claiming Gwen shouldn't have been put up against Remus, who hated to fly.
"Shut it, you stupid prat, we won!" Gwen yelled.
Lily rolled her eyes and allowed James to fold her into his arms, not caring that he was sweaty.
"Just think," he murmured into her hair, "this time tomorrow you'll be Mrs. Lily Potter."
Lily smiled. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"It does," he agreed honestly. "Lily and James Potter."
"Perfect," she smiled. Just then, the door opened and Mrs. Watson came out. She nearly fainted at their sweaty appearances. "Lily! You're getting married in three…" she trailed off when she spotted her daughter, who was currently very busy shutting Sirius up. "Oh, heavens," she said faintly.
Gwen pulled back and blushed. "Mum!"
"Gwendolyn…you – oh…come, Lily dear."
Lily stifled a laugh and looked James straight in the eyes. "This is the last time you'll be able to say when meeting new people, 'Hello, my name it James Potter, and this is Lily Evans, my fiancée'. Now you'll say, 'Hello, my name is James Potter, and this is my wife Lily.'"
"I can't wait," he said, his brown eyes wide. "I love you so much."
She smiled. "Even with no makeup and sweat everywhere?"
"Lily, I'd still love you if you walked 'round with a paper bag on your head."
"Good. I'm afraid you'll fall in love with me all over again once you see my gown," she looked over at Gwen. "It's amazing."
"I'm sure it is." They stood there, searching each others eyes, until Gwen felt a little tug on her arm. She turned unwillingly, to see Gwen, with Hayley and Celeste standing a little behind, looking at her.
Her sapphire eyes were full of tears. She hugged James, and then solemnly took Lily's hand and led her away. Hayley grabbed her other hand, and Celeste took Gwen's arm.
"C'mon, Lils. Let's go get you married."
A/N: Horrible me, I know. And don't worry, I swear, the wedding is next chapter. There's no way I wouldn't do it. Anyway, review, and you'll get the chapter soon!
Want to read the chapters before they're posted on ff.net and Schnoogle? Want to meet me, the famous beta's, and discuss SoL? Want to get little snippets of the upcoming chapter to tide you over? Join my yahoo group!
groups.yahoo.com/group/TheStoryofLily
