Chapter 34

"Raye!" Lily called.

She was standing in front of a wall mirror looking at herself in the white flowing wedding dress.

Raye rushed in from the other room.

"Yes?"

"I can't do this!" Lily exclaimed, "I bet he's leaving right now. He wouldn't want to marry me; he probably thinks I'm fat! I bet he hates me!" Lily burst into tears.

Raye rolled her eyes.

"Lily." She said, giving her friend a hug, "I am the maid of honor, and as such, it is my job to see that you don't think about anything like that. Tell me, why would he have proposed to you if he didn't want to marry you?"

"I think he's changed his mind!" Lily sobbed.

"James is not going anywhere Lily. You've been going out for 4 years! Why would he just pick up his bags and leave now? I assure you; he's not going anywhere."

"Yes he is." Choked Lily.

Raye shook her head.

"Lily, if you don't knock it off this instant, I'm going to hex you."

"You can't." said Lily, regaining some of her composure.

"What do you mean I can't?" said Raye. She felt in her pocket for her wand. It wasn't there. "My wand!" she exclaimed, "Where is it?"

Lily slyly brought out Raye's wand from behind her back. She dried her eyes, and gave a little giggle.

"See, it's all better. Now please give me back my wand." Said Raye.

Lily handed over the wand.

"Don't do anything. Do you know how much this dress cost?"

"More than James would pay if he was just going to leave you on your wedding day." Raye responded.

"You're right." Said Lily. "James wouldn't leave me."

"Of course I'm right." Raye cooed, "When will you learn that I'm always right?"

Lily shook her head and laughed. "Never Raye. Never." They both smiled at each other. "By the way, have you seen Kay?"

"No." said Raye. "I haven't heard from her for a while actually."

"Hmm..." Said Lily in a thoughtful voice, "Me neither. She was supposed to be one of the bridesmaids."

"Sirius!" James barked; he was pacing in his room, already dressed in his wedding robes.

"Yea?" Sirius looked up from where he was doing a crossword puzzle.

"I," James started.

"Wait." Said interrupted Sirius, "Before you go on another of those "Lily doesn't want to marry me" rants, let me say that these Muggle crossword puzzle invention thingies are pretty good. It something to do while the groom is going on and on about the same thing."

"That's not important Sirius." Said James, "What is important, is that Lily is probably apparating away somewhere with all of her stuff right about now! I bet she hates me; I bet she thinks I'm stupid. She's probably seen that zit on my shoulder and it grossed her out and now she's leaving."

"She doesn't think you're stupid, and… ewww…" Said Sirius. "Whatever. She's probably just in her room right now putting her dress on, and thinking the same things about you."

"Don't be absurd." Replied James, "Lily has no reason to think that I would be leaving her."

"And you do?"

"Go check on her Sirius." Said James, "Make sure she's not going anywhere. And if she is, just tell me okay?"

"Okay Prongs." Sirius smirked; "But Lily is fine, okay? You should go into the church hall." he walked out of the room. "Make sure he doesn't do anything rash." He whispered to Remus and Peter who were in the next room.

Knock knock

"Any naked or changing women in there?" Sirius knocked on the door to the girl's changing room.

Raye answered the door. "Nope."

"Darn." Said Sirius jokingly.

"Besides wanting to see a naked girl," said Raye, "What do you want?"

"Umm..." Sirius thought for a moment. "Oh yea! James wanted me to check on Lily to see if she was running away or anything."

Raye smiled, walked out of the room and shut the door.

"Of course not! But she is thinking the same things about him."

"Of course." Said Sirius. Then he looked up and down a Raye. "You look beautiful as ever." He said flirtingly.

"And my man is as handsome as ever." Replied Raye.

Sirius roughly pulled Raye to him and started kissing her.

Raye backed up. "This is Lily and James' day Sirius. There's always tomorrow."

Sirius pouted, and then went back to tell James that Lily was fine.

"Lily!"

Kay rushed in.

"Kay! Or should I say, Narcissia." Lily replied, "Where have you been? The ceremony is starting in just a few minutes or something like that."

"Then I don't have much time to say this Lily." Said Kay.

Lily looked quizzically at the girl, as did Raye.

"Lily," Kay started, "We can't be friends anymore."

Lily started to say something, but Kay put up her hand.

"Let me finish. Lucius proposed to me, but he also said that it was either him or you."

"What are you going on about Kay?" said Raye, "It's not like you're going to marry Lily or anything."

"If I marry Lucius, I can't be friends with you anymore because you are going to marry James, and you know how they don't get along, so that's what Lucius said. And if I refuse and still want to be friends with you, then Lucius will break up with me." Kay almost started crying, but kept her composure. "I choose Lucius, and so we have to break all contact."

Lily gaped. "Even letters?"

"ALL contact." Kay repeated. "I'm staying for the wedding, but then we'll probably never see each other again. I'm sorry Lily." She walked out of the room with her head hung low. Raye followed her into the next room leaving Lily standing there in shock.

"How dare you." Said Raye, "How dare you do this to her on her wedding day! The one day where everything is supposed to go right for her, and you ruin it by saying that she has to lose one of her closest friends. You say goodbye to Lily, you say goodbye to me too."

"Goodbye Raye." Kay simply said, and she walked out.

Wedding music played as Lily placed one foot in front of the other making her walk down the isle.

Everyone was staring at her, but she didn't even notice as she locked eyes with James, who was standing at the alter. She gave him a little smile, and he grinned in response.

When Lily reached the alter, James took her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze.

"Marriage." The priest started, "Marriage is what brings us together today. Marriage is the joining of two who love, making one. Love is what makes the world go 'round, and is what we all wish we had. These two have found that love, and are going a step further to become one. If anyone objects to this wedding, speak now or forever hold your piece." No one spoke. He turned to Lily. "Do you, Lily Marie Evans, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold through sickness and through health, through rich and through poor, to respect him as the head of the house and to take care of him when the need arises, just as he shall do for you?"

"I do." Lily answered.

James audibly let out a sigh of relief.

Lily turned and smiled at him.

The priest then turned to James. "And do you, James Harold Potter take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold through sickness and through health, through rich and through poor, to honor her decisions, to let her know your appreciation of all that she will do, and to care for her when the need arises, just as she will do for you?"

"I do." James grinned.

The priest smiled.

"Then by the power invested in me by the God above, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Lily reached around James neck and pulled him to her as James placed his hands around her waist and kissed her as magical fireworks went off in the sky.

THE END