This was a fic written for the Fiction Alley Valentine's challenge 2002
Author Name: CelticFlame
Fic title: Inspiration
Rating: PG
Author Notes: Thanks to Cat for the beta read. This fic is a spinoff of my "Fate's Manipulation" universe and is a Valentines' Day present to my faithful readers. This takes place well into the future. It is not necessary for you to read FM to understand this, but if you'd like to give it a try, it can be found at this link:
2000
Park Hyatt Hotel
Room 704
Sydney, Australia
"All right then, mate. We'll pretty you up." The jovial tone of his best friend, Sirius, brought James back to the present.
"What was that?" He squinted at a bottle in Sirius' hand, then grappled for his glasses. "No." James backed away slowly and extended his hands out in front of him. "Sirius, I don't need any of that."
Sirius rolled his eyes and glanced at the other two occupants of the room. "Remus, Harry, look at him. Don't you think he needs Madame Milby's Magical Midnight Blue Hair Tonic?"
Harry squinted at his father and shrugged. "He's right, dad. Your hair is a mess."
James fussed to smooth his unruly locks down. "After all we've been through, Lily will not worry about my hair." A dramatic sigh escaped him as Sirius upended the bottle on his head.
"Sirius!" Remus and Harry raced to the window as James disappeared in a blue and silver cloud of smoke.
Sirius tried to look innocent, but the moment was spoiled as he started choking and coughing. He quickly joined Harry and Remus at the window as they breathed deeply of the balmy summer air.
"While you all stand there blocking my bloody air, would someone please assess the damage here? This is quite an important night for me, and Sirius, so help me God, if you have made me a laughingstock, you will pay dearly!"
Harry broke away from the older men and made a wide circle around his father. "Would you like the truth or shall I try to calm you?" He gave his father a mischievous grin. Some day, they would laugh over this.
"The truth, son." James' words were distorted by his gritted teeth.
Harry brushed a hand over his father's hair and held it out. The gleaming sunlight shone on the younger Potter's upturned palm and James gasped at the swirl of colors there. Midnight blue met silver and gray in a shimmering, swirling mass.
"That…That…" he sputtered, before turning a beseeching gaze to Remus. "Can we fix it? I can't attend this dinner with blue hair."
"It pwetty!" James started when he heard the soft voice. He gave Harry an apologetic look before scooping up the child. She always managed to calm him.
"Do you like my hair, Emily? Your da, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus are going to help me fix it." James ran a gentle hand over the little girl's red locks and gave his son a tender look.
"No fix." Crossed arms came down with emphasis over her chest. "No fix!" Tears shimmered in her green eyes and she patted James' hair. As the substance came off him onto her hands, she eagerly leapt down and scampered to her father. "Papa, look, look. Pwetty!"
Harry pulled Emily into his arms and rubbed her back. "Yes, it is indeed." He gave his daughter a small frown. "But your grandfather has a big day today and he wants to look his best."
Emily worried her lip for a few moments, then scampered off. She returned in a moment, brandishing her father's wand. "Reparo hair," she called out and aimed the overlarge wand. James was wide eyed.
"Harry!" James made a grab for her wand, but stopped in mid-lunge at the expressions of astonishment on his friends' face. "What?" His stomach began sinking again. "What has she done?" Panic caused his voice to rise in pitch. James straightened up and moved to the mirror that sat against one wall. His expression turned to one of wonder, and he fingered the jet-black strands for a few moments before turning to his grandchild."Emily, I had no idea that you had mastered some spells already. Your father and mother neglected to share that with me." He turned to meet Harry's eyes, and sent his son a mutinous look. "Perhaps this explains the sudden appearance of twenty cats in my bed last week?"Emily giggled and hid her face behind her hands. "It was a s'prise. Are you mad at me?"James shook his head, and gathered the little girl close. "Harry, she's a Weasley to the core. You had better hope that she isn't like her uncles Fred and George."
Emily's features screwed up in an almost comical expression. "But I like Uncle Gred and Forge."
Room 702
Sydney, Australia
"Ginny, are you sure about this?" Lily Potter studied her reflection in her hotel room mirror critically. She turned her head this way and that, trying to decide if the thin strapped dress suited her. "It is terribly…" She shrugged and gave Ginny a frustrated look.
Ginny rubbed the older woman's shoulder. "It is a revealing Muggle dress and you're having second thoughts. You need to think of this as a celebration. This is a celebratory dress."
Lily wrinkled her nose and studied herself further. "I feel far too old for this dress."
Ginny shook her head emphatically. "Age is just a number. You don't look your age. You look fabulous in it. Consider how James will react when he sees you." Ginny smiled in remembrance. "His face brightens every time you walk into a room. That special day…"
Lily gave the younger woman a wistful smile. "We still excite each other. We have been reunited for six years. Six years today. Do you remember that day, Ginny? You were so young…." Lily's eyes closed.
They had been in an enchanted cottage at the time. Harry and Ginny had been there with Ron and Hermione, Remus and Sirius as well as Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall. When James had stumbled in with Hagrid, Lily's whole reality had tilted on edge.
"I remember."
Little Ginny was now a mother and married to Harry. Ron and Hermione were seeking their destinies. The others…There had been casualties in the war, but the rest of them were trying to heal and move on. Lily studied her reflection in the mirror one last time, trying to make peace with the small lines that bracketed her eyes and the few strands of silver that threaded through her russet tresses.
Suddenly, it all made sense to her. She was a survivor and had every right to look sexy. "Thank you for loaning me this dress, Ginny. I though that it was not my style, but I think," she smiled tumultuously, "I know that James will be very moved by my appearance."
All preparations were complete for the important night. James watched the sun setting over the Sydney skyline. The tuxedo that he wore felt foreign to him, even though he knew that it suited him. His hair was impeccably groomed, and now that the others had excused themselves to dress for dinner, he had some quiet moments.
He glanced to the little girl sleeping on the bed. Emily had been born during the darkness, and James was so thankful for the hope that she represented. Harry and Ginny's marriage and Emily's birth had healed the broken and shattered hearts and bodies left behind after the defeat of Voldemort.
Tonight, he was to reunite with some of those warriors. He had not seen Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall since those horrible times.
They were all there, looking shiny and fresh and impeccable. Lily was a vision in green. As James reached for her hand, Sirius slipped a box into his own under the table. As their friends watched, James sank to one knee.
"Lily Evans Potter, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife again?" His voice was hushed and tender.
Lily's eyes filled with tears and she nodded. As she wrapped her arms around the man who had owned her heart since childhood, James waved his wand and their song began playing. Lily settled into his arms and began swaying slowly. The music swelled around them and wrapped them in an embrace of love. They had been given a second chance. Their love was magic.
You're the Inspiration-Chicago
You know our love was meant to be
The kind of love that lasts forever
And I need you here with me
From tonight until the end of time
You should know, everywhere I go
You're always on my mind, in my heart
In my soul
You're the meaning in my life
You're the inspiration
You bring feeling to my life
You're the inspiration
Wanna have you near me
I wanna have you hear me sayin'
No one needs you more than I need you
And I know, yes I know that it's plain to see
We're so in love when we're together
And I know that I need you here with me
From tonight until the end of time
You should know, everywhere I go
Always on my mind, in my heart
In my soul
Something old: friendships, Engagement ring
Something new: Emily Potter
Something borrowed: Dress
Something blue: Madame Milby's Magical Midnight Blue Hair Tonic