A/N: Woah, I cannot believe this is chapter FORTY. Ah well. I hav had an excellent day, I hope you all have too. This is the penultimate chapter - hands up if you want a sequel? That is... review and tell me if you want a sequel. OK. Thanx to londonlover, bloomz-baby, Oliverwoodschic, PriBAngel (we'll see in the poll), no-comment-carissa, Adrianna (wow, thanx! you are rily enthusiastic! dont think i can publish tho...), itsRAEninmem, EgyptsStar (good luck with the exams! actually u hav sat them now but nm! to be honest, the story is winding down now cos it's the end. sorry...), Andra (:D), Red-Emerald, slytherinphoenix7 (it isnt. there might be a sequel, do u think that's a good idea?), RedRaspberry (me too), Imagination444 (:D), Andra (same Andra or different Andra? ah. diff chapter), InvisibleVoice (poor you!), CanadianBlueberries (call it a moment of madness. and yes, i thought the snape thing was awkward. that was partly why i didnt like that chap), PatchLover08, sassafras (no worries! how was vacation?), atiya, ClovisWestGrad'06 (:D), and Fantasy of Wonder (erm, I'm guessing not, cos i dont know who he is.... sorry! ah. i hav just checked. no it was just a random name!)

B/N: subliminal message: Sev is a gorgeous god. WORSHIP HIM!!! Nope, I have learnt nothing. Except perhaps to type up my B/Ns for Lourdaise (honestly, she asked me to do the thankyous for chapter 38! But I cannot really complain because she was then very nice... and also typed the other stuff up for me... pity she's noticed my plan to take over the world)! Anyways, thanks to select people - Fantasy of Wonder: yay! LOTR reference! I have as yet failed to convert Lourdaise (sobs); Canadian Blueberries: don't diss Sev! (grrr); Egyptsstar: (muahahahahaha!!) I hereby state firmly that whatever anyone else says, Remus is gay (don't care if he's seme or uke, though...)

A/N: Yes, we must all worry about Eihwaz. I roared when she sed the last bit. anyway. on with the PENULTIMATE chapter...

Chapter 40

We decided to walk to Hogsmeade and Apparate to the wedding. "We must be careful not to end up amongst Muggles though," I warned.

James nodded. "Sure. We can Apparate in to somewhere deserted."

We ended up tucked round a corner of the church. We walked round to the front, where James looked amused. "So this is a muggle wedding."

"Yes. Haven't you ever been to one before?"

He shook his head. "Never."

"Oh, well, enjoy this one then," I said cynically. "Do I look all right?"

"Perfect as ever," he said, running his gaze over me appreciatively.

"James, eyes on my face, please," I snapped.

He laughed. "Sorry..."

Suddenly my aunt and uncle appeared in front of us. "Lily dear!" Aunt June kissed me on the cheek and then looked at James. "And who's this, Lily sweetheart?"

"This is James Potter," I replied. "James, this is my Aunt June and Uncle Patrick."

Uncle Patrick shook hands with James. "You must be Lily's boyfriend!"

I flushed crimson. "Uncle!"

"Yes," James said calmly, grinning.

Aunt June's face suddenly clouded and she shrieked. "Patrick!" She pointed at something over my shoulder.

James and I both spun round, and James began to laugh as a large, bear-like black dog lolloped round the corner of the church. It sat down, seeing Aunt June's fright, and began to wag its tail. James advanced towards it. "Be careful," she said frantically.

"It's harmless," James said as the dog seemed to grin up at him. I could have sworn it winked at me, and I couldn't help feeling there was something familiar about it. James patted it on the head and shooed it round the corner. "Just a stray," he confirmed when he came back. "No collar."

Aunt June was smiling happily at him. "Thank you dear," she said, "I've never been keen on dogs. Nasty things."

"Not at all," Uncle Patrick said. "Shall we go inside, or are you waiting to greet people Lily?"

"No, no," I said hastily. "Let's go in."

Vernon Dursley was already waiting at the altar. James sniggered.

"So that's the groom?"

"Shh! Yes."

He smiled. "I now know what you should give them as a wedding present. A potion for losing weight and growing neck."

I cuffed him on the arm. "Shh!" I repeated as my two cousins came to sit by us.

"Hi Lils! Do you know how long it is 'til Petty gets here?"

I shook my head. How long was it since I had used that childish nickname? Seven years, I guessed. "No idea. How are you?"

Linda, the elder, shrugged. "I'm in the middle of my O-levels," she said. "They're not so bad... how did you do in them?"

I froze. O-levels; the muggle OWLs. "I got As in everything except... chemistry," I paralleled.

"Wow! I don't remember being told that."

"No, no you probably weren't. Don't worry, Linda, you'll do fine. So Philippa, how are you?" Anything to get off the subject of these O-levels.

"Oh, I'm OK. School's boring, but..."

"What year are you in? Second, isn't it? No. Third."

She nodded. "I can't believe you're eighteen now!" Suddenly she noticed James. "Hey, who are you?"

He leaned forward and gave his most charming grin. "Me? James Potter," he said.

"I have to come to your school," Philippa whispered to me.

I laughed. "You should've brought Sirius," I told James, "he could have made mincemeat of these two."

James smiled. "Hmm."

"Is he your brother?" Linda asked eagerly.

"No - his best friend," I explained. "His very annoying best friend."

There was a whine from behind me. I turned. The dog from outside was sitting in the pew, looking, if it was possible, highly indignant. James swung round too, and frowned. "I'll move him," he said, standing up and leading the dog down the church.

My cousins watched him. "Why is he talking to the dog?" asked Philippa.

"God knows," I sighed. "He's just mad."

"But he is so good-looking," Philippa sighed.

"Sexy," Linda said, watching as he returned. "But taken. How unfair. Lily, would you share?"

"Sorry," I said, "I bet he'd be thrilled, but no."

He slid back into the seat beside me. "It's sitting at the back," he said in answer to my question. "I didn't have time to get it out, but it'll behave now."

I mouthed 'Magic?' at him, and he nodded. I sat back, satisfied, as the organs began to strike up the wedding march.

"So that was a muggle wedding," James said lazily as we stood outside after the ceremony. "Your sister didn't look half bad."

I shot him a look, and he laughed. "I didn't say she looked anywhere near as good as you. I was trying to be generous!"

I smiled. "All right, all right. It's probably fair."

We chatted to many of the people there, James glibly making up lies about muggle things he was supposed to have done. Only a question about the theory of nuclear physics had his face going blank, and then he tossed it away as 'Sorry, I was never very good at physics.' Later he hissed at me "What's nookaley fishic?" and I laughed.

We left just before Petunia and Vernon. I went back round the side of the church and transfigured a brick into the Complete Works of Shakespeare, with gold leaf trimming, and wrapped it. James eyed it. "Would she really want that?"

"Trust me, it'll look good on a shelf in her lounge for visitors. She'll love it." I chased back round to the front of the building. "Petunia!"

She looked round warily. "Hello, Lily."

"Your present," I said. "I'm afraid we have to Appa - er, leave, now. You look wonderful," I said.

She smiled. "Thank you, Lily. Vernon! Come here, dear!"

Vernon came over and gave me a suspicious look.

"We're - that is, James and I - are leaving now," I said sweetly. "Have a great honeymoon."

I felt, rather than saw, James fight back a smirk. Vernon looked at him over my shoulder. "Thank you for coming, Lily and, er -"

"Potter," James said. "James Potter."

"Potter."

"Yes," twittered Petunia, spotting one of her friends coming over. "You'd better go, then. Thank you for the present. You must visit some time," she said, looking at me slightly more warmly than normal. I nodded, though I didn't particularly fancy the idea.

"Yes, well, goodbye," I said. "I'll ring you sometime."

"You use a telephone?" asked Vernon.

James grinned. "Come on, Lils, gotta go."

We hurried off round the side of the church for the last time. The dog appeared yet again, looked up as we arrived and clearly rolled its eyes, then tapped its paw.

"OK, OK, sorry," James muttered inexplicably. "We got held up. Let's go." We Disapparated.

"James, that dog's still here."

"Ah, yes. Oh dear. Never mind."

"James, we can't just take him into school."

"No - no, stay here, there's a good dog." James took my hand and we moved off at a fast pace.

"Why are we running?"

"No reason. Just... in case the dog followed us."

"I see." He was behaving very oddly, but I decided to ignore it. "So, Potter, do you use a telephone?"

He grinned. "No, I use Floo, but he doesn't need to know that. I do know how to use one, unlike him. Well. I mean, of course, he knows how to use a telephone, but he couldn't use Floo."

"No," I agreed.

"Not that I can imagine anything much more terrifying than have his head appear in my fire. Do we have to go and visit them?"

"You don't."

He gave me a strange look. "I guess not."

A few minutes after we returned to the common room, Sirius tumbled through the portrait hole after us. "So I'm very annoying?" he demanded of me.

I laughed. "Yes!"

He smiled too. "I suppose I can be. But honestly, you don't go round telling hot chicks that!"

My eyes narrowed. "What? Hang on... Sirius, how do you know I told anyone that you were very annoying?"

His face fell and James groaned.

"What have you done now?" I asked dangerously.

"It's - well, see, it's like this, Lily," Sirius said awkwardly. "I think you'd better come up to the boys' dorm."