Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters. So don't sue me or anything p
A/N: Hey peeps! This is my first James/Lily fic so I hope you like it...I think this is the most light-hearted one too. So enjoy and REVIEW!
My only lie
Lily Evans, at the age of twenty one, was standing in a kitchen humming a tuneless song while preparing the numerous snacks that would be in need for this important evening. It was three-thirty already and in half an hour, she, and the role she had, would be gone from this place forever.
Until the stars withered into nothingness in the endless skies. Until the sun rose no more.
For Eternity.
"Hey! Last night as an Evans!" a masculine voice said behind her.
She turned around, smiling at the man leaning against the doorframe. Lily was at his flat, helping him with cooking since her fiancé was hopeless when it came to cookery. It was a shame, really. James Potter excelled in many areas, yet when it came to house-keeping, he was as ignorant as a new-born.
"Yup," she grinned, finishing the last preparation of the food. "I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow at the wedding."
"Don't run away, okay?" James said as he walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug. Although it was a joke, she could still hear the insecurity in his voice. She didn't blame him. Their relationship was anything but smooth. It was after several breakups and matchmaking by their friends, that they had got to where they were today.
"Of course I won't, you silly!" Lily she wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately and gave him a chaste kiss.
"Just checking." The man before Lily grinned cheekily.
Lily removed herself from his embrace and swatted James' arm lightly. Still grinning, James pulled her back into an embrace. This was the woman he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. Passionate and loving.
They stayed in each other's comfort before Lily suddenly pulled away. She looked at James thoughtfully, with a question in her mind.
"What? Is there something on my face? I shaved just a while ago...there shouldn't be anything." James asked, touching the side of his face.
Breaking from her reverie, Lily giggled at the vanity of her fiancé. "No, you vain brat! I was just thinking."
"About?" He raised his eyebrow, still smiling gently.
"About..." She left her sentence hanging, as if still debating whether to ask him or not.
"Come on, you can tell me." James prompted.
"I was wondering whether you've lied to me about your feelings." She said looking intensely at his eyes now.
James' eyebrows shot up, dangerously close to disappearing into his hairline. That was an interesting subject to think about...especially on the last night before their wedding.
"So...have you?" Lily asked.
"No." James answered, sincerely. "I've always been honest about my feelings for you. From the start."
Lily smiled brightly at him before throwing herself into his arms and giving him a kiss again. This time, it wasn't chaste at all. As they kissed, they had slowly moved their way into the living room.
Suddenly, a green flame burst into life in the fire place, interrupting their snogging session.
"Well," a woman's voice said. "Thought I'd find you here. You two can't last a day without each other, can you? Don't you know that it's bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding?"
Lily and James broke away from each other. Lily smiled sheepishly for being caught by her best friend, also the maid of honor in her wedding. James, however, was grinning.
"What can I say, Celine? I'm irresistible," he said.
Lily rolled her eyes as Celine pulled her towards the fire place. "Remind me again, why did I agree to marry him?"
"'Cause you love him." Her friend said as she grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the hearth. She walked into the green flames that'd sprung up, and shouted Lily's address.
Lily took a handful of powder and repeated the actions. But before she shouted her address, James grabbed her wrist.
"Lily, one last question. Have you?" His eyes asking the question she asked moments ago.
"Yes. One lie." She answered, smiling slightly before disappearing from the hearth.
xxXxx
James stood there, frozen in his spot, staring at the fire where Lily had just disappeared.
"...What?" he was positive that he did not hear wrong.
"HEY! PRONGS!" the familiar green flame burst into life again, announcing the arrival of Sirius. "It's your bachelor night! Let's go and see the hot girls!"
James continued staring at the fireplace as his best friends arrived. He was planning to spend his last night single with them.
"Hi, Prongs," greeted Peter as he stepped out of the fire.
"Prongs?" Remus, who arrived shortly after Sirius, asked while shaking James' shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
"Huh?" James said, shaken out of his shock. "Oh, hi guys! What are you guys doing here?"
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean 'what are you guys doing here'? It's your bachelor night! Of course the Marauders would spend their last 'all-single' night together! 'Cause tomorrow, I'd be the bachelor leader of the group!"
"Heck, no!" James laughed. "I'm still the leader! And everyone knows I'm better looking than you! Right, Moony?"
Remus smiled at his friends. Maybe he was just imagining his friend's distress. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Prongs. I'm the best-looking one here. So, no fighting, children!"
"HEY!" Sirius and James protested.
"With that tone of yours," Peter laughed, "I won't be surprised to find you teaching at Hogwarts!"
"Yeah! It's gonna be Professor Lupin to you soon!" teased Sirius, as he ate the food Lily prepared in the kitchen.
"Professor Lupin! How do you answer this question?" James said, pretending to be a student as he waved his hand above his head.
"Well, Mr. Potter," Peter imitated Remus. "I am sure you will find the answer on page 114."
"Hey!" protested Remus, while helping with the food. "My voice isn't like that! And isn't James supposed to be the one we should be teasing?! It's his bachelor night after all!"
"Oh yeah!" Sirius exclaimed as if he just realized that. "Let's go! We're supposed to be at that Bar! The night is wasting away! The hot girls are waiting!"
The three men laughed at Sirius' antics before finishing the food and moving towards the door and heading for the Muggle bar a few streets away from James' apartment.
xxXxx
The bar was crowded. The four Marauders were in the center of attention, drinking their joy with the people of the bachelor party. 'Dancers', as Sirius called them, were dancing on the bar, entertaining the male occupants of the bar greatly.
"Mr. Potter!" a worker from the Ministry sauntered over to James. "Congratulations! You are very lucky to find a woman like Ms. Evans!"
"Thank you!" James smiled at the man before excusing himself and walked on. "Who was that? I don't even know him!" James asked Peter, when he was out of earshot of the man.
Peter shrugged. "Everyone's turning up for your night!" he shouted over the blasting music as the two of them moved towards the bar to refill their drinks. "Half of them were invited, I think, the rest turned up anyways. You're one popular man, Prongs."
"I am, aren't I?" he said sarcastically as a woman latched herself onto his arm. He shook her off. The woman huffed indignantly before moving away.
"You'd think that they'd leave the bachelor alone," said Remus, joining them at the bar.
"Yeah. After all I'm getting married." James said, rolling his eyes. "Whose idea was it to get strippers?"
"Who do you think?" Remus said, before looking pointedly at Sirius' direction.
James looked over and saw Sirius basking in the attention of a bunch of adoring females.
"I thought so," he said dryly.
"But he's good at it, isn't he?" commented Peter, looking at the women around Sirius longingly.
"Aww...C'mon, Wormtail!" James slapped Peter on the back. "I'm sure you can do it too!"
"Yup. You go, Wormtail!" agreed Remus, handing Peter some firewhiskey while James shoved Peter in the directions of the women.
"Well, it's about time that he gets a girl!" laughed Remus as he got a drink for himself and James.
"Yeah! He might give Sirius a run for his attentions!"
"So, Prongs, how does it feel to be a bachelor for the last night?" Remus shouted over a new blast of music.
"I guess I'm a bit nervous," replied James, looking at his drink.
"Nervous?" Remus said, raising his eyebrows. "Merlin! Is the cocky and confident Head Boy that didn't have a fear for the world, afraid?"
"Yes, big bad James Potter is scared." James said sarcastically before sobering up. "I mean...it's surreal to me. I love Lily a lot. You know that. But I just thought that she would never agree to marry me. She's the best! Loving, passionate, witty, confident, supportive...and I really want to give her what she deserves. I don't think anyone but the best man in the world should have the honor to marry her. I know I'm not the perfect man and that I don't deserve to marry her...but I can't bear to see her married to another man. Do you understand? I love her that much!"
"Wow." Remus said, shocked by the outburst.
"You know," James continued, still looking at the glass that he was holding tightly in his grip, oblivious to his surrounding. "Just before you guys came this afternoon...Lily was with me...I know, I know, it's bad luck but who'd you think made the food? Anyways, Lily asked me a question. She asked whether I've ever lied to her about my feelings."
"Well," said Remus, taking a swig at his drink. "We both know the answer. I mean, Merlin, you were head over heels for her since a long time ago, even before you two started dating."
"Yeah, so I told her that. But, before Lily left with Celine for her party, I asked her the same question. She said yes."
"What?"
"Yeah, I second that."
"James, I'm sure she meant some other time, not now..."
Suddenly, there was a loud crash, interrupting Remus's words. They looked over at the commotion and saw two drunken men fighting. Both of them moved from their seats over to the group surrounding the two men.
"What's this about?" James asked one of the men around the circle.
"One of guys, you know the one with black, longish hair, got drunk. He pulled the girl off the lap of the blond bloke. Think he's drunk too. Both of them started fighting...The one with the black hair, he's got one hell of a punch."
"Shit." James said, pushing through the crowd.
Remus was already there, trying to pry Sirius off Peter.
"Moony!" Sirius shouted. "Let me go! He's got it coming! Trying to steal what's mine!"
James ran between Peter and Sirius, holding the drunken Peter off. "Damn! Wormtail! Padfoot! Get a grip!"
"James! Let me go!" Peter growled, pulling his fists back. But before he could hit James, he fainted from the amount of alcohol he took.
Remus hit Sirius head not so lightly. Sirius slumped in Remus's hold. Things were back into control before the bouncer got to them.
"Move, please. Need to get them out of here." Remus said as he and James dragged their friends out of the bar.
"We should've remembered that Wormtail can't hold his alcohol," James said when they were out of the bar.
"Yeah. Normally, Sirius wouldn't cause this much trouble when he's the only one drunk. But why do we have drunks that act like children?" grumbled Remus. "Sorry, James, having to cut your bachelor party short."
"Hey, what's a party with Sirius out!" laughed James. "C'mon. Let's get these oafs back to my apartment and find some hangover potions or I'd have some really grumpy best men tomorrow."
xxXxx
Although they were used to minimal sleep, the morning came sooner than Remus and James anticipated and wanted. They had little sleep that night, both taking turns to watch over their drunken friends.
They were lucky to find some potions at the apartment. However they were not the strongest concoctions which James was sure that his friends would need.
"Uhh..." groaned a voice on the coach. "I've got the worst case of hangover."
"I'm sure you do." Remus said dryly as he handed Sirius a vial of hangover potion.
He took it gratefully and chugged it down his throat. "Uhh...this tastes worse than I remember."
"I'm sure."
"What?" asked Sirius, sensing the sarcasm from his friend's tone. "What happened last night?"
"You don't want to know." Remus sighed. "Can you wake James up? He's had a rough night but he needs to get ready or he'd be late."
"Sure." Said Sirius as he moved to James' room.
Remus went over to Peter and shook him awake.
"My body...I feel like I've got Dumbledore's gargoyle on my head and then been trampled by a hoard of mad hippogriffs."
"You should." Remus said handing him the vial of potion. "You got really drunk last night. And you injured yourself. James and I had healed you already."
Peter tried to stand up but was forced back onto the coach as a shout echoed through the apartment.
"AHHHH! PADFOOT!"
"MY EARS! PRONGS!"
"WELL, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO THREW WATER ON ME!"
"My head..." Peter moaned.
xxXxx
After the hectic early morning, with Remus acting as the mother hen, they were able to get to the church half an hour before the wedding started.
"Wow! You made it!" teased Frank Longbottom from his seat in the second row of seats. "I thought you'd arrive seconds before Lily walks down the carpet."
"Very funny," said James. He was really nervous. It was the day. The day that he'd been waiting for since he realized that he loved Lily and that he could not possibly live without her. They had broken up due to time managements, their work...and many other things. But in the end, they were together. Finally.
But what if...
"Prongs, you okay?" asked Sirius as he took his space next to James.
"Yeah," whispered James absentmindedly.
"You sure?"
"Yes," said James irritably but then realized that his best friend was just worried for him. "Thanks."
"No problem." Grinned Sirius. "What're friends' for?"
"Hey! What are you talking about?" asked Remus joining them with Peter.
"Nothing." James grinned. "Where were you though?"
"Went to see Lily," said Remus.
"Prongs, my man, you're seriously one heck of a lucky man. She's gorgeous. Angelic. Beautiful..."
"Hey!" complained James. "Why did you get to see her? It's not fair! And Wormtail, find yourself your own girl! She's going to be my wife."
"Of course," laughed Peter. "Never thought of hooking up with her."
"Just dreamt of it, huh?" asked Sirius, mischievously.
"Yup! Only during the days and nights!" said Peter with a huge smile on his face.
"Hey!" laughed James with his best men.
Nothing was going to change between them. Even though he was getting married. They were still the Marauders. Still best friends. Still the troublemakers from Hogwarts...
The organ started suddenly, signaling the arrival of the bride. James sobered up immediately. This was the moment. The hour of their union. They moment he had been living for.
The progress was slow. But when Lily appeared on the red carpet, it was all worth it. She was...beyond words. The description Peter gave did not, could not, justify her beauty. On her wedding day, Lily was beyond human. She was immortal. Her splendor, the aura of an angel's innocence and the charisma of a goddess, branded his mind.
Her walk down the aisle was torturous. What he would give to take her into his arms and ravish her.
As Lily approached him, she smiled. The walk was terribly slow. When she finally stood next to him with her father handing her over to her fiancé, she thought hours had passed since she first stepped onto the richly colored carpet.
Professor Dumbledore, who'd volunteered to marry them, stood regally at the altar, peering at the lovers before him. This was a marriage of much significance. The first joining of a pureblood family with a muggle-born family in decades. A love match in the world where marriages of convenience were common. A light amongst all the darkness.
As Lily's father settled in his seat, the Headmaster began the ceremony.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've all gathered here today, at this hour, to witness the union of Man and Woman. Before us are two souls who wish to be perceived by us all in their bonding of heart, mind and soul. And with love, they speak their vows on their behalves."
James took Lily's hands, looking deeply into her eyes. To him, at that moment, no one stood in the chapel but his lover.
"Lily, my only, our road has not been the easiest,
Yet today, you're here, standing beside me,
And I must thank all deities above for giving me this chance:
To love you, to cherish you, to stand by you.
In my youth, you were my inspiration;
You made me want to be a better person,
You've guided me with your words...and rants,
Making me the man I am today.
I treasure the friendship you offered me,
When you thought I was worth-while;
I treasure the love you allowed me to have for you,
When you made me the man I am.
Lily, you're my friend and comrade,
My lover and soul mate;
But most importantly, beloved:
You're my wind.
You're the soothing breeze that enlightens my heart;
The powerful gust that blows away the storm;
The steady wind that encourages me in times of doubts;
I love you, Lily; always have, always will."
He gently slipped the platinum band, symbolizing his everlasting devotion, onto her finger.
"I, James Potter, take you, Lily Evans as my wife.
I pledge my eternal faithfulness to you;
I'll love you until time ends."
Tears of joy welled up in Lily's eyes. Choking back a sob, she looked at the man she loved in front of her. This was the life she wanted. Nothing could change her mind. She knew she would not be happy anywhere else besides in his arms. She swallowed thickly before speaking:
"James, my friend and comrade,
My lover and soul mate;
Over the years, I've been unreasonable, selfish and undeserving,
Still, you stood by me, loved me and I want to thank you.
In our younger days, you were everything I did not want,
Yet you're all the things I cannot live without;
You changed me for the better,
Giving me the best and most of your life.
You're my stone, my shelter,
You've shielded me from the worst of storms,
Your love is my constant and encouragement,
I love you with all I have.
I promise that I will stand next to you,
Through all the hardships of life;
I will be there and I will love you,
In sorrow and in joy.
The rivers may run dry,
The earth may crumble,
The sun and moon may die;
But you're in my heart, forever and always."
When she finished, she put a matching ring onto James' finger and repeated her vows.
"Now, as we've all been witness to their vows," announced Dumbledore. "You may kiss the bride and seal the bond."
James smiled, lifted the veil off Lily's face. They were one. One body. One mind. One soul. Until the end of time. His face lowered slowly and met her lips with his.
"Now, allow me to present you, James and Lily Potter. Husband and wife."
Cheers erupted in the chapel, celebrating for the new couple, their everlasting love. A love that would bring salvation to the wizarding world. The start of a new era.
"My only lie," Lily whispered to her husband as they broke from their kiss, "was that I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid. That was my only lie: denying that I loved you."
A/N: Voila! It's done...another one-shot! Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you for reading!