Chapter Three: The Birthday Bash

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Author's note: Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate them greatly. ^_^ Its weird knowing that people I know will be reading this.kinda creepy actually. I told all my friends I was writing a HP fanfics and they demanded to read it. I was flattered, and most of them liked it! (that I know of.)

Dinner was on the table and the Evans family plus James Potter were in an uncomfortable silence. Streamers decorated the walls in celebration of Petunia's Birthday, but there was an aura of disappointment surrounding the birthday girl. Lily, who would normally take this opportunity to torment her only sibling, was unusually subdued.

"So James, tell us about yourself. Lily tells us you're an athlete?" Ms. Evans asked politely.

James perked up at the attention, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes, actually. I'm Quidditch captain at my school."

"Err.James they don't know what Quidditch is." Lily said quickly. But the boy wasn't even fazed.

"So I'll fill them in, if they're interested?" Mr. Evans nodded vigorously, and James commenced to explain. Petunia was on the verge of listening, but seemed uncertain.

James pulled something out of his pocket and tapped it with his wand.

"Oh!" Ms. Evans exclaimed, "It's cute!" A golden snitch fluttered in his hand, trying to escape.

"When I catch this, the team gets 150 points and the game ends. Nasty little thing to spot sometimes though. The trick is to look for a little blurry flitter, hiding somewhere."

He released it and the muggles, entranced, watched it fly around the kitchen. Suddenly it zoomed by Petunia's head and she squeaked loudly, jerking her head and catching the snitch in her perfect blond curls.

"AAAAIIIIEEEEEEEKKKK!!!!" She screamed and flailed wildly, everyone watching wide-eyed as she struggled to remove it.

"Hold still!" James said, pointing his wand at her hair. "I can get it out.hold still!" Lily was almost amused.

"Just blast it out!" She offered. Horror struck, Petunia wailed even louder and flailed even wilder than before.

"Electus imortatem." James said, and Petunia's hair was free of the struggling snitch. Unfortunately, quite a chunk of Petunia's hair was freed along with it. It was now incredibly lopsided; one half frizzled blonde curls, the other half.short, fried blonde.

Lily looked surprised for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Ah, so sorry. just if you had stopped moving.my aim was a little off.err. so sorry." James stuttered. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he had probably ruined the Evans impression of him.

Petunia felt what was left of her hair and began to sob. "Err, if you let Lily make a potion. a little bit of opossum nose hairs might grow it back.she's good with that sort of thing.sorry again." James's face was red, and Lily was still laughing. Her mother shot her an 'it isn't funny at all' look, and she quieted a bit.

"James, it isn't your fault." Lily started, but she was interrupted.

"It is! You and your friends and their awful magic! You ruin everything Lily! I hate you! You should stay at school and never come home!" She ran from the room and left the others sitting with their half full plates in stunned silence.

James took his seat and grimaced. Surely Lily's parents hated him now. He had ruined their oldest daughter's birthday.

"That was interesting." Mr. Evans said cheerfully. "Good bit of magic, I'll say. Can you do anything like that Lily?"

James stared. Was he. impressed?

"Of course I can. I'm top student in the entire school. I could do that with my eyes closed." Her voice was airy and proud.

"Yes, you always were the clever one." Ms. Evans agreed. James was awed. Did they not notice that Petunia had run screaming from the room?

"Pass the salt James, there's a dear." Lily's mother asked. He complied, still completely bewildered.

"I'll explain later." Lily whispered as she reached across the table for more green beans.

Dinner continued pleasantly enough, without Petunia the family seemed even more eager to hear about James's accomplishments. They seemed impressed and glad that such an honorable young man managed to capture their daughter's heart.

When the cake was out of the oven, Lily frosted it and Ms. Evans stuck 19 candles in it. James was fascinated by how Lily got along without magic so well. It would be terribly hard for him to live without magic after seventeen years, but she seemed to be doing just fine.

"Lily, go persuade your sister to come have her cake." Ms. Evans said. Lily groaned, gave James an exasperated look, and proceeded upstairs to fulfill her duty.

"Petunia, the cake's ready. Come down and have some." Lily said at the closed door to Petunia's room.

"I won't! Not until you are gone for good! You ruin everything."

"So what if I do!? Maybe you ruin everything for me? Remember when I could have gotten new robes, but instead mum and dad got you a dress for prom? Remember that time I broke my arm and we had to wait for a two days to go to the hospital because you had wrecked the car?! Remember when that one boyfriend of yours came over and ripped all my dolls heads off as a joke!?"

"You've done worse Lily! You wrecked my birthday and my date and ruined my hair and messed up my life!"

"It wasn't all my fault!"

Petunia opened the door and stuck her head out. Comically, it was the half of her head with short hair that was visible, giving one the impression that she had had a run in with a lawnmower and lost.

"You're right. It's all of you freaks. Especially that boy!" she said vehemently.

"LEAVE JAMES OUT OF THIS!" Lily screamed.

"Leave me out of your screwed up life!" Petunia said indignantly. "Just because you can't cope the way normal people can-"

"Shut up before I curse you." Lily said quietly. Her green eyes were dangerous. "Come my birthday, I will make your life hell Petunia." She glared at her sister, who didn't even flinch.

"You try. Go ahead and make me suffer. But when you need me most, when that loser boy leaves you pregnant and penniless, don't come crying to me and my happy husband. You'll regret ever being nasty to me. Believe me." And she slammed the door.

"WELL WHEN YOUR HUSBAND FINALLY REALIZES THAT YOU ARE A HORRIBLE, STUCK UP, SNOB, DON'T COME TO ME!!!"

And she kicked the door as hard as she could, leaving a large dent in the polished wood. Then she stomped over to her room, slamming the door behind her and fuming about the latest insults.

"Oh dear, they're fighting again." Ms. Evans sighed. James stared at her incredulously.

"You mean this is normal?" he asked. The lady nodded sadly, wincing at the sound of the door being kicked in.

"They can't go a week without this kind of shouting match.summer holidays are the worst, especially with Lily here all day, with out any friends nearby to go out with."

Mr. Evans growled. "Those two are ridiculous. And with company here too."

"Usually Lily doesn't get very upset, I think you must have had something to do with that dear." Ms. Evans told James. His stomach dropped out and he apologized again for the whole mess, but the Evans's just waved it aside.

"You're a nice boy, Lily needs someone like you."

James couldn't help but smile. Then he remembered something.

"Ah, Mister and Misses Evans, I needed to talk to you about something."

"What is it dear?" Ms. Evans asked. She sipped her cup of tea casually, smiling at him indulgently.

"It's about Lily, ah, how do I say this.err." he began. James Potter had stuttered more this evening that he had in months at school. He rubbed his messy hair nervously.

"Spit it out boy," Mr. Evans encouraged.

"Well.I'm going to ask Lily to marry me." He said finally. When he noticed the looks on their faces, he added hurriedly, "That is, if she wants to. I mean, I know we're still in school but bad things are happening and if something happens I want to be with her properly .I'll wait till we've graduated anyway." He trailed off.

"That's wonderful dear!" Ms. Evans exclaimed. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Then you approve?" he asked eagerly.

Mr. Evans nodded, smiling, then frowned. "Yes, but.what bad things?" he asked. James paled.

"Well, he-who-must-not-be-named is getting more powerful, and he's taking a lot of people to his side, and those who won't, he kills. Surely Lily told you?"

"No.." All eyes turned to Lily, who walked in sullenly, eyes red.

"She won't come down. And I don't care either. I hope she rots up in her room."

"Lily!" Ms. Evans said. "That isn't very nice."

"Well Petunia isn't nice! If she were, I wouldn't say things like that! You always take her side, don't you!?" Lily was very upset, and looked like she might burst into tears.

James felt like picking her up and carrying her off to kiss all her worries away, but he had the feeling that her parents might not approve of that. She walked over to the table and sat down tiredly.

"You don't have to put up with her for long Lily, so be nice while she's still here. Come summer her and Vernon will be getting married and living together in his house."

Lily muttered something like "good riddance", but no one heard but James. He gave her a small smile.

"I guess dinner is over?" he asked. Lily nodded.

"I'll walk you to the door."

"I'm sorry James, you can't have enjoyed yourself. I wish I could make it up to you." Lily wrapped her arms around him and took a deep, calming breath.

"No! It was.err.fun. Yeah."

Lily glared.

"Ok so it wasn't fun, but I got to meet your family. And just think, a week from now you'll be at my house meeting my parents. But we'll have a lot more alone time." He winked, and she grinned. Her green eyes were happier than they were all evening.

"We can have alone time right now." She suggested. James kissed her forehead.

"Not with your parents in the living room we can't. That would creep me out."

"McGonagall didn't creep you out that one time in the cupboard."

"That was different. McGonagall isn't someone I try to impress."

"You try to impress my parents?" Lily asked, surprised. James smiled but didn't answer, hugging her close instead.

"James Potter, I love you." She whispered.

"I love me too, err. I mean, I love you Lily Evans." He said, laughing as she swatted him.

They kissed passionately for a moment, and then James stepped away With a loud crack, he disapparated and was gone.

Author: Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought, thanks. ^^