While We're Here
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related items. If I did, I
would be writing fanfictions for a website; I'd be writing the real thing
for international publishing companies.
Summary: Sequel chapter.
"Those look great too," James canswered after half-glancing at the china wedding plate in Lily's hand, hastily returning to his copy of the Daily Prophet. Lily sighed in frustration.
"You didn't even give them a decent glance," she said.
"Hmm? "James looked up from his newspaper again without having heard what Lily had just said to him.
"Oh, honestly!"
"Now Dearie," a kind-looking elderly witch had placed a soft hand on Lily's shoulder. "Those are nice, but they break easily. You don't want to be shooting Reparo spells all over the place on your wedding day now do you? I'd go with these." The elderly witch pointed to a set identical in design to the one Lily was looking at which was being displayed behind a sign that read 'Permanent Unbreakable Charm. 2 galleons more' and smiled. "Do you want me to have a little heart-to-heart with your fiancé, now Dearie?"
"That won't be necessary, Grandmother," James answered, suddenly appearing behind Lily. "Lily, you've never met my lovely grandmother have you?"
"No, I haven't," Lily grinned. "Nice to meet you Mrs.—"
"Potter. Yes. Like you, I said yes to a Potter, and I can tell you that," she brought Lily in closer. "they have a thing for women with red hair. They never realize it until they're engaged, though. I used to look a lot like you when I was younger." The two of them giggled. James, who hadn't heard, was busy circling a large display of grooms' robes that had floated over to try and gain his interest. "So, getting married are you James? Congratulations!" She called toward her grandson. He returned to the two ladies. "I take it you haven't decided on a date yet or you would've invited your own grandmother already."
"No, Grandmother, we haven't set a date yet," It was James' turn to respond. "But if you didn't know about our wedding, why are you here?" At that she giggled and pointed to the display of grooms' robes, which had floated away again and was now accompanied by a live, awfully good-looking model in his early twenties. James rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"James's grandfather died years ago," she explained to Lily. "I missed him terribly for so long and still do, but I've moved on a quite a bit. I don't plan to remarry, mind you, but I can still look." She stole another glance at the model, eliciting the same reaction from James and further giggling from Lily.
"Hold on, were you the grandmother that James's magical powers first appeared with?" Lily asked.
"Why yes, I am. Has James told you that story?" she asked innocently. James's face turned bright red and Lily laughed again.
"Please let's not go into that," James grumbled, hiding his face.
"Yes he has. I've heard a lot of good things about you."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I live so far north that I can't get down there often. I'm glad this is the best wizarding wedding shop in Britain or I wouldn't get any gossip about southerners at all. My Apparating skills aren't what they used to be you know, and I don't travel any other way. I truly am sorry I haven't gotten to know you better before now. I'm sure we'll have a long time together yet. "
"We will, definitely have a long time," Lily smiled with a hug for the older witch.
"So, your parents gave me the news," she said pointedly in James's direction. "In case you were wondering."
"I'm glad they did Grandmother. We would've stopped by, but we didn't know you'd be this close to the wedding shop."
"Oh, I take out an odd room or so at Merlin's Beard in town through the week sometimes. I get so lonely at home alone."
The three of them sat and talked about nothing in particular for a long time. They sat in three pale yellow chairs tucked away in a corner. Every once in a while, the model and his display of grooms' robes would float by or a very bright-smiled witch in robes that matched the chairs would offer them tea from a self-sufficient teapot. Occasionally, James would ignore the conversation and return to his newspaper. Other couples and families sat around in various other places in identical yellow chairs musing over champagne glasses or flower arrangements or things such as that.
"Yes, that's how he proposed. Isn't it sweet?" James heard his fiancé say during one of the times when he drifted back to reality. She was telling that story was she? James grinned and pretended to go on with a very over-used story on Aberforth Dumbledore and his goats.
"What are you grinning about James Edward Potter?" his Grandmother snapped across the semi-circle of chairs.
"Nothing," James lied, still grinning.
"Yes, there is too something!" she scowled again. "That's the same expression you used to wear when you told me fibs as a little boy. You can't lie to me, you know that."
"Nothing, Grandmother," he assured her, doing his best to rid his face of the tell-tale smirk. "Lily, I hate to spoil the girl-talk here, but I need to be going. If you're staying, I'll see you tomorrow to look at the church right?"
"No, no, I think I'll go with you. I have to get to bed early tonight anyway."
"Yes, don't let me keep from your sleep, Lily," the older lady put in. "Or your fiancé."
"Oh it's not that. I'd love to stay and talk with you some more, but—"Lily began, but she was halted by a waved hand.
"I won't have any of that. Besides, I'm having dinner with a very handsome man from town tonight."
James and Lily walked hand-in-hand through Diagon Alley after Apparating from the wedding shop. They reached the Leaky Cauldron and Lily turned o him.
"Why don't we go in for some drinks or something?" she asked, drawing closer to him now holding both his hands in hers.
"Oh Lily, you know I'd love to," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "But I really do have to go into Muggle London. I wasn't just making that up to get away from grandmother you know."
"Oh I know," Lily conceded, returning the peck. "It's okay. I'll just be getting home. I really do have to be getting to bed early too."
"Are you sure?," James was whispering now and kissed her longer that time. "You don't look very a happy about it."
"I'm okay, really," she returned the kiss, whispering herself now. "Why do you have to go to Muggle London?"
"There's a great Muggle key maker there or so I hear."
"Why do you need a Muggle key maker?"
"Oh it's nothing. I owe a certain Mr. Scott Baker a spare key to his flat."
The End A/N: I'll let you figure it out.
Summary: Sequel chapter.
"Those look great too," James canswered after half-glancing at the china wedding plate in Lily's hand, hastily returning to his copy of the Daily Prophet. Lily sighed in frustration.
"You didn't even give them a decent glance," she said.
"Hmm? "James looked up from his newspaper again without having heard what Lily had just said to him.
"Oh, honestly!"
"Now Dearie," a kind-looking elderly witch had placed a soft hand on Lily's shoulder. "Those are nice, but they break easily. You don't want to be shooting Reparo spells all over the place on your wedding day now do you? I'd go with these." The elderly witch pointed to a set identical in design to the one Lily was looking at which was being displayed behind a sign that read 'Permanent Unbreakable Charm. 2 galleons more' and smiled. "Do you want me to have a little heart-to-heart with your fiancé, now Dearie?"
"That won't be necessary, Grandmother," James answered, suddenly appearing behind Lily. "Lily, you've never met my lovely grandmother have you?"
"No, I haven't," Lily grinned. "Nice to meet you Mrs.—"
"Potter. Yes. Like you, I said yes to a Potter, and I can tell you that," she brought Lily in closer. "they have a thing for women with red hair. They never realize it until they're engaged, though. I used to look a lot like you when I was younger." The two of them giggled. James, who hadn't heard, was busy circling a large display of grooms' robes that had floated over to try and gain his interest. "So, getting married are you James? Congratulations!" She called toward her grandson. He returned to the two ladies. "I take it you haven't decided on a date yet or you would've invited your own grandmother already."
"No, Grandmother, we haven't set a date yet," It was James' turn to respond. "But if you didn't know about our wedding, why are you here?" At that she giggled and pointed to the display of grooms' robes, which had floated away again and was now accompanied by a live, awfully good-looking model in his early twenties. James rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"James's grandfather died years ago," she explained to Lily. "I missed him terribly for so long and still do, but I've moved on a quite a bit. I don't plan to remarry, mind you, but I can still look." She stole another glance at the model, eliciting the same reaction from James and further giggling from Lily.
"Hold on, were you the grandmother that James's magical powers first appeared with?" Lily asked.
"Why yes, I am. Has James told you that story?" she asked innocently. James's face turned bright red and Lily laughed again.
"Please let's not go into that," James grumbled, hiding his face.
"Yes he has. I've heard a lot of good things about you."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I live so far north that I can't get down there often. I'm glad this is the best wizarding wedding shop in Britain or I wouldn't get any gossip about southerners at all. My Apparating skills aren't what they used to be you know, and I don't travel any other way. I truly am sorry I haven't gotten to know you better before now. I'm sure we'll have a long time together yet. "
"We will, definitely have a long time," Lily smiled with a hug for the older witch.
"So, your parents gave me the news," she said pointedly in James's direction. "In case you were wondering."
"I'm glad they did Grandmother. We would've stopped by, but we didn't know you'd be this close to the wedding shop."
"Oh, I take out an odd room or so at Merlin's Beard in town through the week sometimes. I get so lonely at home alone."
The three of them sat and talked about nothing in particular for a long time. They sat in three pale yellow chairs tucked away in a corner. Every once in a while, the model and his display of grooms' robes would float by or a very bright-smiled witch in robes that matched the chairs would offer them tea from a self-sufficient teapot. Occasionally, James would ignore the conversation and return to his newspaper. Other couples and families sat around in various other places in identical yellow chairs musing over champagne glasses or flower arrangements or things such as that.
"Yes, that's how he proposed. Isn't it sweet?" James heard his fiancé say during one of the times when he drifted back to reality. She was telling that story was she? James grinned and pretended to go on with a very over-used story on Aberforth Dumbledore and his goats.
"What are you grinning about James Edward Potter?" his Grandmother snapped across the semi-circle of chairs.
"Nothing," James lied, still grinning.
"Yes, there is too something!" she scowled again. "That's the same expression you used to wear when you told me fibs as a little boy. You can't lie to me, you know that."
"Nothing, Grandmother," he assured her, doing his best to rid his face of the tell-tale smirk. "Lily, I hate to spoil the girl-talk here, but I need to be going. If you're staying, I'll see you tomorrow to look at the church right?"
"No, no, I think I'll go with you. I have to get to bed early tonight anyway."
"Yes, don't let me keep from your sleep, Lily," the older lady put in. "Or your fiancé."
"Oh it's not that. I'd love to stay and talk with you some more, but—"Lily began, but she was halted by a waved hand.
"I won't have any of that. Besides, I'm having dinner with a very handsome man from town tonight."
James and Lily walked hand-in-hand through Diagon Alley after Apparating from the wedding shop. They reached the Leaky Cauldron and Lily turned o him.
"Why don't we go in for some drinks or something?" she asked, drawing closer to him now holding both his hands in hers.
"Oh Lily, you know I'd love to," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "But I really do have to go into Muggle London. I wasn't just making that up to get away from grandmother you know."
"Oh I know," Lily conceded, returning the peck. "It's okay. I'll just be getting home. I really do have to be getting to bed early too."
"Are you sure?," James was whispering now and kissed her longer that time. "You don't look very a happy about it."
"I'm okay, really," she returned the kiss, whispering herself now. "Why do you have to go to Muggle London?"
"There's a great Muggle key maker there or so I hear."
"Why do you need a Muggle key maker?"
"Oh it's nothing. I owe a certain Mr. Scott Baker a spare key to his flat."
The End A/N: I'll let you figure it out.