Well here it is, Chapter three! I've also gone through and revised the other two chapters for silly mistakes, so hopefully most of those have gone.
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Loving You – Chapter Three
1st December 1978
The car arrived, as promised, at ten o'clock. We were lucky – James only just managed to get changed and polished before the large black vehicle cruised into place just outside the front gates. Did I mention how large this place was? They had a drive the length of the Themes and the gates were like two enormous bat's wings – except they were painted green. Bright green, that is, not Slytherin green. You can't be in Gryffindor for seven years and not have an aversion to that colour.
Anyway, Moony let it in and the thing moved up to the front door. I have to admit I was a bit dubious about this. I'd seen them, sure, and I knew plenty of wizarding families had them, but I, personally, had never actually been inside one.
It can't be any worse than a motorbike, I told myself. What are you Black, a man or a Muggle?
"Good morning," said the driver in a posh accent when we all clambered into the car, Remus in the front, me and James in the back. He looked a little fazed at our robes but quickly got over it.
"Fancy dress wedding, eh?" he chuckled. "I had a whole group last month that were all done up like cowboys."
"Is that right?" James asked vaguely. He looked at me and I could tell he was trying desperately not to laugh. I looked away quickly to save myself the same embarrassment.
"So who's the lucky groom?" the driver asked as he restarted the car. I jumped as the machinery rumbled suddenly underneath me. Motorbike, I reminded myself. It's a motorbike with walls and a floor.
"Oh, that would be me," said James, going white again.
"Well, don't be nervous, lad." This seemed like a particularly stupid thing to say as James had already been sick once this morning and was now feasting his eyes hungrily on the view outside the window as though it might make him feel better.
As soon as this thought crossed my mind, my chin started to feel a bit… stiff. My throat seized up. It was NOT a nice feeling.
Oh god. I'm going to be sick.
I copied James. The view rushed past in a green and black blur as I tried desperately to keep my breakfast in my stomach. I hated Remus for sitting so calmly in the front seat, and added 'Muggle' to my description of the ideal parent – something I never thought I'd do.
Someone save me from this torture! I thought as my chin refused to relax properly. Fortunately the driver seemed to have experienced this sort of thing before.
"You lads want to make a stop?" he asked as we drove up to a petrol station.
"Yes please," said Remus, looking back and finally noticing that the two of us were incapable of speaking.
We were both sick. James in the loo, me in the sink because there was only one cubicle and James took it first. The sound of him throwing up was enough to make me lose my insides quite thoroughly – something which I was grateful for, as when I turned on the tap and the stuff whizzed down the drain, there wasn't anything left to come up. We'd both got some on our robes but after a quick look around to check no one was watching, a quick cleaning charm took care of that.
"Sirius, you sit in the front," said Remus when we got back – both pale, but both feeling decidedly better.
"Why?"
"Because you don't go up and down so much. Why didn't you tell me you got carsick?"
"I didn't know! I was always fine on the bike! Besides, what about James?" We both looked over at our friend, who was making small talk with the driver about nerves and was looking quite ill again.
"He wasn't carsick," said Remus shortly, and that was the end of that.
It was better in the front. By looking out of the window I managed to stay feeling chipper until something banged loudly and the car came to an abrupt halt.
"What was that?" James demanded. He was rubbing his shoulder where the seatbelt had stopped him from hurtling into the driver's seat.
"Ahhh," said the driver, getting out. "Nothing to worry about, gents…"
But it was something to worry about. There was smoke issuing from the front of the car, and when the driver tentatively opened the bonnet with the sleeve of his jacket as a glove, he started to look very worried.
"What's going on?" Remus asked. Luckily we were not on a main road and the other cars were just moving around us, some swearing loudly in our direction, some yelling sympathy for our plight but continuing on their current course.
"Oh dear," said the driver. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."
"WHAT?" I yelled at him. So I lost it a bit. He deserved it.
"It'll need to go in for servicing."
The driver suddenly found himself grabbed by the collar and slammed up against the car door. "Then how," James growled menacingly. "Am I supposed to get to my wedding?"
"Steady on, lad," said the driver. "I'll call a reserve car. You'll still meet your lucky lady, don't you worry." James released him. Looking quite shaken, the driver reached for his radio and made his report. The crackly voice from the radio replied. "Right Jim. No problem – we'll be there in half an hour."
James groaned. "Half an hour?" he whispered to the two of us. "We'll never make it in time. Lily will kill me."
"So what do we do?" I asked him. He thought about this – his sickness apparently forgotten.
"We apparate," he said finally.
"Are you mad? If you're worrying about Lily killing you then apparating is a quick ticket to the grave, pal," I told him.
"We don't have a choice, Sirius. We'll just arrive quietly outside this place and then merge with the crowd, pretending we've been there all along. Lily isn't due to arrive for another hour."
Remus nodded. I sighed. If Remus was agreeing, then I wasn't going to back out. Who was the brawn of this little group anyway? "There's just one problem," said Remus. "This place. Do you know where it is?"
Silence. "Oh good," said Remus.
"Oi! Driver!" I called. The man looked quite affronted.
"Can I help you, gentlemen?"
"Yeah. What's the address of this… wherever we're going?"
The man laughed. "I assure you, you won't be able to walk there –"
"We're not going to," James assured him. "Where is it?"
The driver sighed and fished in his pocket for the address. He handed it to James.
"Thanks, pal," said James, grinning. "See you later."
The driver didn't even have time to look confused before we'd started running. We ducked behind a tree several metres away and James unfolded the paper.
"St. Mary's Church, High Street, Islestown, Derbyshire," he said. "Got it?"
Remus grinned and was gone with a soft 'phlip!'
"Bastard," said James, in good humour. "How'd he get to be the best at that?" He disapparated.
Lily, I thought. I want you to know that I'm doing this against my own free will. Pop.
St. Mary's wasn't so much of a church as it was a Cathedral. There were people milling around outside and a couple of cars, already.
"Bugger," said James, biting his lip in a most childish fashion. "What now?"
"Hi guys!" someone squeaked from behind us, making us all jump. It was Peter, and he was laughing. Hard.
"Oh - my - god…" he gasped. "The looks on your faces… it was like you'd been caught stealing from the kitchens by Filch…"
"Oh, shut up you moron," said James, hugging him. "Did you see us come in?"
"Yep," said Peter, grinning evilly. "You wait 'till I tell Lily you –"
"PETER! You can't! You… you wouldn't? Right?"
"Oh, I dunno," he said, rubbing his chin absent-mindedly. "Seems like a good blackmail opportunity. Come on, we'll go in the back way."
"He wouldn't really tell, would he?" James asked me nervously as Peter opened the door to the Vespers.
"Nah. Lily would take it out on the first thing she saw and that'd probably be him," I said, trying to make light of it.
"Well," said James, "if he does, he better wait 'till after the wedding."
"Hey! You two coming or what?"
It wasn't too hard to find the kitchen. It wasn't huge, but it somehow managed to accommodate about fifty House Elves, all of which were scurrying around busily at a speed that made my eyes water.
"You're early," said Sarah Nells, standing right in the centre of the organised chaos, where no less than three House Elves were passing a spoon around a huge bowl in order to stir the doughy-looking mixture inside it. She had her blonde hair tied back untidily in a pony tail and dressed in Muggle clothes. I guessed that she would be getting changed later.
"Yeah," I said, trying to avoid the subject. "How's Lily?"
"When I left, she was checking herself over and over again in the mirror," she said, smiling. "As if she could look anything less than perfect."
"Oh, she can," I told her, remembering the horn-tongue hex (courtesy of yours truly) back in fourth year.
"Funny," she said. "You watch this lot, will you? I don't know why Lily's so worried, but I guess it can't hurt to humour her." Sarah, coming from a family of wizards and witches for three generations on her mother's side, and four on her father's, knew that with the Hogwarts House Elves in charge, very little was likely to go wrong.
"Right," I said, watching as a House Elf poured milk out of the end of his finger into the mixture. This was quite a disgusting sight for anyone who hadn't seen it before, but luckily I had about sixteen years of experience with House Elves in kitchens. "Um… what are you making?"
"This is Mr. Potter's cake, Mr. Black sir," said a House Elf who didn't really seem to be doing anything. "Good morning, Mr. Black sir," it added.
"Hi, Dwinkle," I said, grinning. Six years of popping regularly in and out of the Hogwarts kitchens had given all four of us ample opportunity to get to know all the Elves by name. "It's really good to see you. What type of cake is it?"
This was the worst question I could possibly have asked. Dwinkle couldn't possibly just say 'Lemon'. He had to describe every single aspect of the blasted cake from every possible angle. Luckily, reading that book had actually helped. I understood at least two thirds of what he was talking about.
While he was talking, I put my hand in my pocket without thinking and found something unexpected. Well, unexpected until I realised what it was. It was the little box that had James and Lily's wedding rings in it. I closed my hand around it. It felt… velvety.
I'd been there when James had proposed, but nothing prepared me for the realisation that hit me then. James is getting married, I thought. My best friend… I thought about all the times we'd had together, all the fun, all the homework, all the too-short summers, all the detention, all the trouble we'd gotten into. James. The James who'd nearly hexed me on the train when he found out who my father was. The James who'd saved Peter from three huge Slytherin boys in his first year. The James who'd mastered every single Transfiguration trick before anyone else. The James who'd launched a vendetta against Severus Snape and all Slytherins in general. The James who'd suggested we become Animagi to help Remus through his transformations. The James who'd danced three times around the living room to celebrate becoming Head Boy.
For some reason, I just could not imagine that James getting married.
You're afraid you'll loose him, said a voice somewhere inside me.
No I'm not. I want James to be happy.
How disgustingly sentimental. Damn. It was my father's voice.
I won't loose him. Not ever.
I opened the box inside my pocket and picked up one of the rings. I took it out to look at it and Dwinkle (thankfully) stopped talking.
"Sirius!" I jumped and dropped the ring back into my pocket. Sarah was looking over at me from where she was overseeing the arrangement of fruit on a platter. "Want to jump off your broom for a minute?"
I grinned at her. "Sorry." I sat back and watched the House Elves make the cake. I figured they could handle it.
No sooner had I stepped out of the kitchen than I came upon Ignatius Potter – James' uncle, who was to be conducting the service. Wizard law is different than Muggle law – pretty much anyone can marry you as long as you have witnesses and the papers are legal. Lily had wanted a churchman, but James had stomped on this idea (gently) by pointing out that they'd have to find one who knew about magic, which in itself would be quite impossible. As it was, only those of Lily's relatives who knew about her 'unusual' schooling would be attending. This made for a very short list, but there was no way that Lily was going to risk someone doing magic at the service, and then having to obliviate a member of her own family. James' family, however, would certainly make up for the depleted amount of Evans members.
Ignatius had been chosen because he'd married James' parents. Don't ask me why this was a factor, it just was – James hadn't even considered asking anyone else. Unfortunately, though, James' parents wedding had been a long time ago, and at some point during that time, Ignatius had become slightly less than reliable.
"Mornin' Sirius," he said, trying to take off his hat but missing. He came round to dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's house occasionally, so he knew who I was all too well.
"Hi, Nat. Where're you off to?"
"Kitchens, lad, where else?"
"I think you might be out of luck. Lily's forbidden alcohol in the whole building until the reception."
The man shrugged, waving a hand that knocked a handle out of its holder. "Y' never know, do ya?"
"True." I let him go. The chances of him finding anything with which to drink himself senseless before the wedding were pretty slim.
Sarah was standing on tiptoe on a stool by the wall, attempting to fix a streamer that had just fallen down. I couldn't help but laugh at her – she'd left the kitchens before me and during the ten minutes before I followed her she'd obviously got changed into her bridesmaid's dress. This was most definitely not a robe – it clung in all the right places and was pale pink. Sarah HATED pink, but Lily had obviously done a deal with her by allowing her to do her hair however she liked. Sarah had a thing for her hair, and had surpassed herself this morning by curling it up into an elegant knot before intertwining medium-sized flowers in a crown around her head. And it was in this attire that she was attempting to reach a peg on the wall that was at least a foot higher than she and the stool combined.
"Well, I'm glad you think it's funny," she snapped, jumping off the stool and letting the streamer fall. "A little help would be a little more appreciated." I took the stool from her and attempted to pin it back in place. I heard a voice from behind me as I did so.
"You look gorgeous…"
"Why thank you, Remus!" I said, jumping off the stool and handing it to Sarah, who giggled uncharacteristically.
Remus blushed. "I was talking to Sarah," he said defensively. "And you know it."
"I'm hurt," I told him, while looking him up and down. He'd given himself a dust off and found a mirror and a comb somewhere. "You look neat."
"Thanks ever so," he said, rolling his eyes. James is up there – catch him before he falls, will you?"
With less than twenty minutes left to go before the service started, James was already standing at the head of the enormous congregation (most of whom where not as yet in their seats, but milling around unconcernedly) hopping from one foot to the other. He looked quite good, actually, but I wasn't going to tell him that.
"How're you doing?" I asked him, hopping up onto the dais beside him.
"Better. That nonexistent car ride sort of put things in perspective."
"Why don't you stand still, then?"
James realised what he was doing and stopped hopping. "Sorry. Hey – see that woman in the front row?" I didn't need to ask which one. There were lots of women, but only one was wearing a flowery pink and yellow dress, white gloves, a wide brimmed hat an a superior expression.
"Who is it?"
"Lily's sister, Petunia. Isn't she horrible-looking?"
I didn't actually think she looked all that bad, even if her mouth was curled in a way that suggested some small rodent had just died in her handbag. "Yeah," I told James, to pacify him. "Compared to Lily – most definitely." I looked at the woman sitting next to Petunia. She wasn't half bad looking, either. She looked older than me… maybe just a little bit, at least, but had clear skin and rich blonde hair under her hat. I didn't get time to ask James who it was though, because at that point Peter came up and stood beside us.
"How's it going?"
"Oh, fine," I told him. "Where've you been?"
He grimaced. "I was in charge of seating. It's been a complete nightmare – give me a couple of years and I'll get Lily back for this, you wait and see."
"Why a nightmare?" I asked. James hardly seemed interested, he was mouthing soundlessly and I knew he was rehearsing something. I knew dragon dung about weddings, so I didn't know exactly what.
"Wizard-Muggle relations," he replied. "The more…" he searched for the word, "old-fashioned members of James' family and some people from school had to be seated as far away as possible from Lily's family. But then James' family has several different…" he searched again, "branches, and there are centuries-old feuds everywhere I look. Then people complain when they're not close enough to the front."
"At least you didn't get stuck in the kitchen –" I started, and proceeded to exchange nightmare-wedding stories with Peter for the next ten minutes until James got thoroughly fed up.
"All right, you two!" he hissed. "That's enough. Just try and enjoy the rest of the day, will you?"
"Oh – James!" Peter suddenly exclaimed. "I almost forgot – I saw Snape!"
"Snape?" I spat. "What's Snape doing here?"
"Damn. Lily must have invited him," said James, looking scandalized. "'Got to know him' apparently, when they were working on that project for the Order last month." He let his voice drop considerably while talking about the Order.
"WHAT? You never told me!" I protested.
"I didn't really think it was anything worth worrying about. Did he do anything, Pete?"
"Nope. But guess what – he's in Muggle clothes!"
"He isn't!" James exclaimed.
"He so is – must be in disguise at the moment, or something. The look he gave me when I showed him his seat… He looks so weird – he's even tidied himself up a bit. I saw two ladies eyeing him." Peter looked disgusted. He and Snivellus had been the only two boys in the year unable to get a date throughout the entire seven years of Hogwarts, and it looked like Snape was going to beat him to the first one.
"Yuck," I said. "Doesn't even bear thinking about."
"Oh well," James sighed. "Let's just stay out of his way. With any luck we'll be able to get through the whole wedding without anymore of us running into him. Sirius can be the one to kick him out if he causes any trouble, as best man."
"When I get married, are you going to be doing this for me?" I asked him.
"That's up to you," he said with a grin. "Lucky me, I got in first. If anyone else ever asks you to be best man, you'll say no."
I snorted at the truthfulness of this. "How much longer?"
"Five minutes," said Remus as he ascended the stairs to the altar, grinning all over his face after his 'talk' with Sarah in the Vespers. "I saw Lily. She looks fantastic."
"Do not tempt me, vile heathen!" James groaned.
"Shall I sleep downstairs tonight?" I asked him, slyly.
"Stop it, you prat!"
"James? You ready?" it was the orchestral master – James' old music teacher. This was the man partly responsible for the slushy proposal at the leaving feast. James gulped.
"Yeah. Where's my uncle?"
I looked around. No one could see Ignatius, and we were all starting to get really worried when someone belched loudly behind me.
"Oh, Uncle!" James sighed. Ignatius Potter had a glass in his hand that was half full of all-too-familiar orange-brown liquid. "Where did you get that?"
Bugger, was my first thought. Breadcrumbs, was my second.
"Ale house," Ignatius burped. "Downstairs. Damn useful."
James groaned. "What are we going to do? He can't lead the service when he's like this!"
"Find someone else, and hurry!" said the music instructor.
Luckily, this time, I was not asked to oblige. There are only so many things a best man can do.
"May I be of service?" said a voice from beside Peter. Standing there was a tall man with a long white beard wearing spotless turquoise robe.
"Professor!" James gasped. "I mean, Albus – would you? Conduct the service, I mean? My parents will go spare but we can't have a drunkard either! Lily would have my head – and she'd love you to do it, sir, I'm sure she would!"
"You have need only to ask, James," said Dumbledore, smiling in an infuriatingly calm way. "I believe your orchestra is anxious to start?"
James looked over at the 'orchestra'. It consisted of four men and one woman armed with wands only. "I… wouldn't really call it an orchestra, sir."
"Right," I said, taking charge. "Stand up straight, lads."
The music began. The man on the far left seemed to be controlling the musical paths of several trumpets with his wand, and they began the wedding march. The other instrumentalists joined in. Everyone stood up.
28th July 1996
"Dah! Dah dah daaaah! Dah! Dah dah dah! Dah dah daaaah!!!!" Sirius demonstrated, waving his wand hand in a conductor-like way. "Dah! Dah dah dah! Dah –"
"Yes, all right," said Remus, looking very slightly amused. Sirius stopped conducting.
"What? I was reaching a dramatic climax!"
"Dramatic seizure, more like," Remus muttered, as Harry stifled a laugh. "Get on with it, will you?"
"Oh, fine," said Sirius. "Well, there was a whole lot of music to start, then…"
1st December 1978
Then Lily entered the door, with her father. Her dress was pure white, and quite plain, leaving her slender arms bare. She wore no pink, as it would have made a terrible combination with her hair, which hung in a mass more than a wave down her back. In the same fashion as Sarah and the other bridesmaids, she was wearing a crown of white flowers (lilies, someone told me later) except hers had a webbed veil attached. It covered her face and upper arms, trailing behind her for about six feet.
Lily's 'baby' cousin had the train firmly clenched in podgy hands, wearing a blue suit and a serious expression. Her father, Mr. Evans, had his arm held out formally for his daughter's hand to rest on. He was smiling softly as they walked up the aisle to the music.
Sarah and the others came next. There were a couple of girls from our year, Ellie and Jessica, and a couple others that were obviously Muggle friends and relatives of Lily's. The light caught the lilies on their crowns, making it look like they were wearing halos. Sarah looked over at us and winked. Her gaze was slightly to my left, and when I risked a quick glance to my side I saw Remus staring fixatedly. To my other side, James was wide-eyed at the sight of his fiancée, now less than five metres away. Am I the only one here not totally googly-eyed? I wondered. Just as the thought crossed my mind I noticed that Jessica Green looked particularly ravishing…
Damn! Stop it!
I shook my head gently to rid it of any such thoughts while standing in a church.
Suddenly Lily noticed Dumbledore standing at the altar, and her eyes widened slightly. Surprisingly, her gaze turned to James. She smiled at him, gratefully.
She thinks it's all his idea, I realised. She never wanted Ignatius anyway. On impulse, I looked towards James' parents in the front row. Ignatius was standing beside James' mother, breathing alcohol into her face as he turned to see the bride approach the altar. I had a feeling that Mr. and Mrs. Potter wouldn't blame James for making a last minute change of conductor.
The music faded away. The congregation sat. The bridesmaids arranged themselves on the other side, one of the younger ones taking charge of the little boy.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Dumbledore started. "We are gathered here today, to witness the union of James Dominic Potter, and Lily Sara Evans. Who gives the bride away?"
"I do," said Mr. Evans, passing Lily's hand to James, who took it with the slightest of nods in the older man's direction. Dumbledore continued.
"The vows you take today are a commitment to make a life together, knowing with the uncertainties of the future that your love for one another will remain constant through it all." He turned to James. "James Dominic Potter. Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to live together in holy matrimony, to love, honour and comfort her, keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," said James, gently, but loudly enough so that the whole place could hear. I could hear someone blowing their nose in one of the back rows.
"Lily Sara Evans. Do you take this man, to be your lawful wedded husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love, honour and comfort him, keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," said Lily, her face unreadable behind the veil, but we could hear the smile in her voice.
"The exchanging of rings, symbolizes the sacred bonds that exist between you," said Dumbledore, and I realised that this was my cue. I dug my hand into my pocket for the box. I brought it out and opened it, ready to pass the rings to James and Lily – my heart did a double-take when I saw that there was only one ring in the box.
"As the circle of these rings knows no end, so may the love declared here today…"
Remembering suddenly that I'd taken a ring out in the kitchen, I sighed with relief and put my hand back into my pocket.
"Never end and forever be renewed."
There was nothing there.
Crap.
Well, this has taken weeks, so I hope you're pleased with it. Please, please, please review to tell me how this is going!!
~*Laterose*~