Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Happy? (I'm not, but whatever)

Disclaimer #2: All likenesses of people, events and ideas to real people, events, and ideas is completely, 100% coincidental.

Author's note: well, sorry about the delay, I have been unbelievably busy lately. Yesterday was my littlest bro's birthday (he's 13 now!) and we all went to a RR Express baseball game. I pretended it was Quidditch though, and that made it even better. No hot guys there though…sigh. Here's the next chapter, thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate them a lot! ^_^

Chapter Eight: Brothers to Be

            Newts were a week away, and all the seventh years were hectic in preparation. It was impossible to talk to any of them for fear of setting them on a rampage of curses to make you leave them alone and in peace to die.

            Lily was one of those seventh years. She needed top scores to go up against Voldemort and be an auror with James. It seemed like they would never ever be over with.

            Then, suddenly, they were. Lily stumbled out of the Charms exam, slightly in shock at how well she had done and the fact that it was the end of the exams. They were over? James kept telling her that, but somehow it seemed like she needed to go back and check something in case it was on the Potions Newt, or finish studying that chart for astronomy…

            She and James were walking down the corridor, on their way to the great hall, and James was being unusually quiet. At the top of the marble stairs, he stopped suddenly and just stood there. Lily turned around to see what held him up, and noticed a nervous blush on his face. Since when did James Potter blush about anything?!

            "Lily, I know things have been crazy lately. What with the bad things happening, and exams and graduating…"

            "So? Are you alright James?" Lily was getting annoyed with him just standing at the top of the stairs. Soon everyone would be coming down, and they would get caught in the crowd.

            "So there's something I want to ask you, that would make things better, at least, I think so, anyway, it's all up to you really…"

            "What's wrong James?" Students were beginning to come down the stairs, and Lily was hungry. There was a rumble of chatter as hundreds of students came out of the great hall from lunch and a hundred more came down the steps from classes and exams.

             James took a deep breath, dropped down on one knee, and pulled something out of his robes, grinning boyishly.  Several students stopped to see what James Potter was doing in the middle of the stairs, and several more realized what was going on and squealed excitedly.

            "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"  There was a hushed silence as everyone looked to Lily, some kids craning to see up the stairs about the hold up. Lily gaped in disbelief at the glittering gold ring James was holding out to her.

            "What's going on?" a first year boy asked loudly. A fifth year kicked him.

            "That boy just asked that girl to marry him!" The fifth year, a girl, said dreamily.

            Marry? James Potter? Lily thought for a moment, and then she thought no more.

            "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Oh James!" She threw her arms around him and let him put the ring on her finger. Then they kissed.

            Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Saraline Stokes could be seen standing near the front of the crowd surrounding the couple.

            "That Bastard!" Sirius said muttered fondly, and began clapping for his best friend. Remus, Peter and Saraline followed suit, and soon everyone was clapping and one teacher (McGonagall) looked misty eyed.

            "Here are Dark Times." Dumbledore began his closing speech at the end of term feast. "And not everyone is safe. It is times like this that we must celebrate, more than ever, the gift of love." He looked pointedly at the couples in the room, including Lily and James, Alice and Frank, and Saraline and Sirius, but not excluding Bellatrix and Rodolphus or Lucius and Narcissa. "Students I remind you not to use magic over the holidays, and I look forward to seeing you again. Congratulations to Gryffindor for winning both the house cup and the Quidditch cup this year,"  ("Boy, I wonder how that happened?" Sirius wondered aloud at James and Lily. "Maybe because both head boy and girl are in Gryffindor?") "Enjoy your feast!"

            Lily did enjoy the feast, her last one at Hogwarts. She was all packed away, leaving her home of seven years, her friends and teachers who she had come to know and love. She almost didn't want to leave, really, but one look at James's smiling face and the glittering ring on her finger made her think again. Soon she would have a new home, a new family, and a new life all her own. That wouldn't be possible if she stayed at Hogwarts. Alice, her closest friend in Gryffindor, would no longer be a bed away. Saraline would no longer be able to sneak into the Gryffindor common room, James and Sirius wouldn't be at breakfast with her every morning, joking and laughing.

            Summer at the Evans house was usually just a boring lull in Lily's life, waiting for term to start again in a state of bored and uncaring studiousness. But this summer was different. Hogwarts was not going to be there in September, and within a month, Petunia would be wed to Vernon Dursley. Her parents were hectic with preparing for the wedding, and thrilled at the news that their second daughter was to be wed within a year. Petunia was so preoccupied that she didn't even bother Lily when she spent all day in the kitchen making potions.

            The potions were part of her auror training, everyday she and James, along with many Hogwarts graduates who were their friends made ready to be accepted into the ranks of the Elite Dark Wizard Catchers. Unfortunately, the number of Aurors available to train the newcomers was pathetically small, and much of the work that Lily and her friends did was self taught.

            Lily didn't mind however, and soon it was common for witches and wizards to be coming in and out of the Evan's household, studying and keeping company with Lily. Her parents welcomed the flow of bright young people, and usually Mrs. Evans would make brownies or something for the guests. One such day, Lily, James, and Alice were sitting around the living room drinking tea, when there was a knock at the door and Petunia came running down the stairs to answer it.  Before she did, however, she stuck her head into the living room and addressed her sister.

            "Vernon is here, and he doesn't know about you and your friends, so don't tell him and don't be suspicious."

            "Ashamed of me are you?" Lily asked, bitter.

            "You might say that." Petunia answered coldly. She left them and opened the door; a bout of squealing could be heard.

            "Oh Vernon! I missed you my sweetie darling."

            "Ugh." Lily said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe her."

            "Who is this Vernon person Lily?" Alice asked curiously. It wasn't often that Lily talked about her sister, and any information was usually reluctantly given. Today was no different.

            "Her fiancé." Lily sneered. "Great ugly fat loser, he is."

            "Lily, that's not very nice." Alice scolded kindly. "You could at least give him a chance, muggle or no."

            James snickered. "We all know how Lily feels about muggles, Alice, seeing as she was one for a number of years." Alice rolled her eyes and sipped her tea, elegantly ignoring him. 

            "Really, Lily. He can't be that bad. Petunia loves him after all."  But just then, a large man entered the living room, squinty eyes glaring at them suspiciously. Petunia's thin head poked from behind him, daring the others to do anything, and Alice suddenly looked quite startled and a bit frightened. Her dark eyes were wide, and her round face was pale. She had never seen a person so…menacingly annoyed.

            "That's just my sister, Vernon. And her friends, ignore them." Vernon nodded gruffly, strolling past importantly. James, tossing a grin at Lily, stood and stuck out a hand to shake.

            "I'm James Potter, soon to be your brother in law." He smiled charmingly, and Vernon squinted. James was wearing his robes, and looked mighty strange to someone like Vernon.

            "Vernon Dursley." The big man said, shaking slowly but firmly.

            "Fine family of women, this one." James said, winking over Vernon's shoulder at Petunia and nodding towards Lily. Lily tried not to laugh. Alice looked fascinated.

            Petunia, furious, stomped past them dragging Vernon along by the hand. James watched innocently, then turned and was greeted by laughter.

            "I told you!!" Lily howled, "Hahaha, you shook him up good James!"

            "Lily! James! I can't believe you. We need to be on good terms with muggles." But her face said otherwise, and she finally grinned.

            "I didn't do any magic, it was just a bit of fun." James sat down next to Lily and put an arm on her.  "Right Lily?"

            "Sure." Alice nodded. "And when he hates you, it's going to be your own fault."

            "So its my fault that my own sister hates me?" Lily asked. Alice softened.

            "Lily, you could be nicer."

            "Oh! I could, could I? How am I supposed to do that?" Lily snapped. Her face was red, and Alice looked shocked at the outburst. James recognized the danger immediately.

            "Lily, Alice was just saying—" 

            "I don't care. Just," she sighed and pushed James away. "I'm sorry Alice."

            "Its alright Lily."

            James took her back into his arms. "Alice was just saying that you need to put out more of an effort than she does, and be nicer than she is. Right Alice?"

            "Yes." Alice smiled. "I know it's hard for you, but you're a strong girl."

            "I dunno about that." Lily muttered, but they heard.

            "James Potter only takes the best." Alice said.

            "Well, second best. Frank got you first Alice, so—"

            "James!" Lily tackled him and they fell off the couch, laughing. Petunia appeared angrily at the doorway.

            "Keep it down in there!" Then she noticed Lily and James on the floor. "And get a room with a door!"

            "Sorry," Lily giggled. Suddenly she realized that it was Petunia's loss that she would never know her. She was sad for a second, but then James distracted her and hoisted her into his lap, ignoring Alice's disproving glare.

            Three weeks until the wedding. Two weeks. Then one week. Lily was struggling with herself and her feelings for her sister to no end. Loyal to her blood sister who she had known for all of seventeen years, or the man she loved and would spend the rest of her life with? It seemed like going would be to shame James, but to not go, shame herself and her parents. Petunia was in a flutter and a daze, preparing for the wedding, nervously pacing the house and yelling at Lily constantly.

            "You better not wreck anything Lily!" Petunia screamed one day, watching as Lily ladled some poisonous lurkweed into her potion on the stove.

            "Sure Petunia, want to test my destruction draught for me? You'll implode a lot quicker than if you keep yelling like that."

            Petunia swept out of the kitchen, muttering something about what color flowers she wanted. Lily took a deep breath and continued on her draught. She would have to tell someone about this predicament. Saraline? No, she would insist that Lily go. James? He would too. Remus? Nope, same old same old there. Alice? Lily actually cringed at the thought of what Alice would say if she found out that Lily was thinking about not going to her own sister's wedding. Sirius? Now there's an idea, Lily thought. Sirius was having troubles with his own sibling if the vibes James gave her were correct. Regulus Black…Lily left and immediately wrote a note to Sirius.

            Sirius

            Come to my house as soon as you can. I have to talk to you

Lily

            She sent her owl off, smiling. It was as if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. Sirius would know what to do. He always did didn't he? He was the one person who would understand. Lily actually scolded herself for a moment for not thinking of him before, but was quickly distracted by the screams echoing from downstairs. Her draught!

            The kitchen was a mess, potion ingredients were spilled everywhere. The cauldron in which the destruction draught was simmering had boiled over the top in Lily's negligence, creating, as the name suggested, destruction. Petunia and her mother were up against one wall, trying not to let the sizzling potion touch their feet.

            "Scourgio!" Lily said quickly, cleaning up the mess, and swishing her wand to make the liquid disappear for good. Mrs. Evans breathed a sigh of relief, but Petunia let out a wail.

            "My shoes!" Petunia moaned, pointing at her feet. The white heels that she had been wearing ("trying them on for the wedding!") were now brown and smoking, with holes where the potion had burned them.

            "Now Petunia," Mrs. Evans began. "We can get you a new pair of heels…"

            "NO! Mother, the shoes aren't the point!" Her face was red, and she looked about to cry. "The Point is that SHE RUINS EVERYTHING!" Petunia pointed a long finger at her sister, burst into sobs and left.

            "I'M ONLY TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD YOU KNOW!" Lily yelled after her. Mrs. Evans looked quite shocked, and was at a loss for words. Her kitchen floor was very burnt, and the stove was quite a mess. Lily turned to her mother and started crying.

            "Mother, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry!" Mrs. Evans hugged her daughter and patted her on the back.

            "Now Little Lily, I know you didn't mean it. Go apologize to you sister."

            "Apologize to her!? What did I do?" Lily exclaimed.

            "You did ruin her shoes dear…"

            "Mother! Here I am, trying to learn all I can to stop Voldemort from killing everyone, and do you know what distracted me from my potion? DO YOU?!" It wasn't like Lily to scream at her mother, and Mrs. Evans was quite startled and hurt.

            "Lily, dear, calm down."

            "SHE DID! I was so worked up over her and her STUPID wedding that I forgot about my potion!!"

            Mrs. Evans was silent. Her daughter had never been so upset about something before. Usually it was Petunia who burst into sobs and screamed at her family, not Lily. Lily was always calm and collected, egging her sister on and fuming in silence.

            "Lily, calm down and talk to me when you are thinking clearly." Mrs. Evans left the room, left Lily standing on the charred floor in tears, staring at her mother in disbelief.

            "I hate all of you." Lily said. And she disapparated.

Author: Questions? Comments? Next chapter will be up tomorrow…^^ Thanks!