-endymion-
I'm wearing my best smile.
It's a happy occasion after all.
The place looked wonderful, and everybody's all dressed up, even old Padfoot here. A week ago he fought tooth-and-nail so he wouldn't be caught dead in a penguin suit.
He's here beside me. In a stuffy, black, penguin suit.
I checked my watch and saw that it was nearly time to begin. The air is positively filled with anticipation. Today's the big day. Finally...
The pianist played the opening notes of the Wedding March and everybody stood up as the Cathedral's doors opened. Most of our friends were in the bridal parade, all looking decent in their pale gold dresses and sleek black suits. Pair by pair, they made their way toward the altar.
There, at the very end of the long line, was the most beautiful girl in the world.
Don't tell Padfoot I said that. I'll never hear the end of it. He'd accuse me of being the geekiest cheese ball on the planet.
"She looks quite smashing, doesn't she?" Sirius whispered, a canine smile on his lips.
"She does," I agreed fully. She was dressed very simply. A plain, pristine dress, a pair of gloves, a veil and many, many flowers. But in all her simplicity, she radiated a sense of elegance and happiness.
I'm glad she's happy. Truly, I am.
I can remember our days in Hogwarts quite vividly. Well, that might be because it's been only a couple of years since we left. I remembered how she hated us. Oh, how she hated us. Always the good girl, she was. Model student, top of every class, House Prefect...everything. She was just perfect.
That's why she absolutely loathed us, the Marauders. She thought we were nothing but a show-offy lot who always ruined everything for everybody.
Well, okay. Maybe we were a show-offy lot who always ruined everything for everybody, but we changed, didn't we?
Thank Merlin's wrinkles we changed. Another year with her hating me would've been unbearable.
See, I've fallen in love with her. Truly, madly, off-my-rocker crazy in love with her. I don't know how or when it happened; it just did. I woke up one morning realizing that I was in love with Lily Evans.
I could enumerate all the things I liked about her right now, but that would probably annoy everyone and I'll get jinxed pretty badly. I mean, I'm pretty good at counter-jinxes, but not that good.
She used to hex us a lot when she got mad at us. Poor Wormtail, he always got the worst of the hexes. She was usually aiming for Sirius, who was the most ill-behaved of the four of us, but he always got away in time. I think that's how we became so good at counter-jinxes.
Well, she might as well jinx me right now too, for all the difference it made. Her brilliant green eyes caught mine, and she smiled that sinfully beautiful smile of hers. Damn that woman; she always knew how to disarm me (no pun intended).
I smiled back at her as she drew nearer. Oh boy, is that walk taking forever or what?
I never really told anyone how I felt for her. At the time, it seemed impossible for the two of us. For one thing, she hated us. For another, a friend of mine is in love with her too... and he fell for her first. He was just as crazy as I was for her. It took me quite a while before I realized that I was in love with her too.
On our sixth year, we became more serious about our studies, and our escapades grew less and less. Soon, the only mischief we go into were the monthly trips to the Shrieking Shack for the Full Moon Fever. We didn't live in the headmaster's office anymore. I suppose she noticed the change and she became less distant towards us. We got to spend more time together. When she smiled at me for the first time... okay, I'm not going to start on that again.
Anyway, she's walking down the aisle now. Walking towards me. Beaming with inexplicable joy, she drew closer and closer and...
Took James Potter's waiting arm.
That's how it always was. Whenever I get the nerve to ask her out, James always beat me to it. That's James Potter for you.
I couldn't compete with that. Who wouldn't go out with him? He was brilliant, popular and a wicked Seeker. Plus, he was my friend. So, I kept it all to myself. James didn't have a clue. I'm usually good at hiding stuff, being a werewolf and all. Only Padfoot noticed. Dog's instincts, I guess. He could probably tell something was going on. He really tried to purge the truth out of me, but I never admitted. I thought, if I voiced my feelings, it would grow stronger and thus cause more trouble. I stood in the sidelines and watched James and Lily become the couple of the century.
"To tell you the truth, she was kind of disappointed that it was I who asked her out," James told me a few weeks ago, at his bachelor party. "She told me she was kind of hoping you would ask her. She said you kept dropping hints but she wasn't sure if you were serious or not."
"What's she talking about?" I said, careful not to look at him in the eye. I felt Sirius' eyes on me, but I ignored him. Peter was oblivious, as usual. "I wouldn't know how to drop hints, even if it was to save my life."
Luckily, James chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I told her. Anyway, that was a long time ago."
A sharp jab on my side (courtesy of Padfoot) jerked me back to reality.
"...speak now or forever hold your peace," said the celebrant. There was a sudden silence in the hall as the priest gazed around the audience.
"It's now or never, Moony," Sirius whispered, so only I could hear him.
I steeled myself for what was about to happen. I had to decide. This is Lily Evans we're talking about here. The only woman besides my mother to see and like me for what I really am, not the creature everyone is afraid of.
And of course, James Potter. One of my best friends. One of the people who brought the best out of me.
I shut my eyes tightly and swallowed, my balled fists starting to unclench.
"Then we shall proceed," said the priest.
Sirius turned to look at me. "So, it's never huh?" he asked, a note of pity in his voice.
I opened my eyes in time to see James lift Lily's veil and kiss her. My insides shriveled up into nothing, but I held my ground.
"Yes," I nodded. I put the 'best smile' back on and started to clap. Everyone else followed my lead.
"I guess you did the right thing, Moony, old pal," Sirius punched me lightly on the arm.
Forever hold my peace. For friendship's sake.
-end-
A/N: ok, so that was mushy. Sorry Remus came out looking like a pathetic wimp and James seemed like an insensitive dolt. This is a spur of the moment kind of thing, and is also my very first fic. Don't sue, don't kill, don't wage a war...
This was originally meant to be a one-shot fic, but my buddy saicho18 and I might co-write a a few more chapters.
Oh, and usual disclaimers. HP characters are all jkrowling's, not mine.
Please R n R! Thank u!