Chapter Three: The First of Forever

"Mother?" a soft voice asked incredulously.

She whirled around, only to find herself faced with a young woman who was equally floored. The two women stared at each other for a long moment. She wondered idly how she appeared; she had not seen her reflection for twenty years. Still, she was certain that she looked nothing like this girl's mother.

"I'm Lily Potter."

Her companion looked taken aback. "Yes, of course, I'm sorry—Mrs. Potter," she added quickly. "But how…why…"

Lily smiled sadly. "A very old spell…and Harry."

The sound of his name seemed to bring her back to reality. "Harry! He'll want to see you," she added softly, moving towards the bed.

"No!" Lily whispered harshly, snatching the young woman's arm. "You must not wake him!" Lily froze as Harry first stirred restlessly, and then began to twitch violently, his face fearful.

"No!" he moaned. "No, no, no…please, no," Harry cried, his voice rising. "NO!"

The young lady crossed quickly to Harry's side, throwing Lily a strange glance as she did so. She did not hesitate to climb into the bed and curl up behind him. "Shhh, Harry, it's all right," she murmured, sliding her arms around him. Harry responded by turning slightly and pulling her to him like a small child might clutch a favorite toy. "He's gone. I'm right here, love. I'm right here," she repeated reassuringly. "It's all right, Harry." She did not seem at all surprised by Harry's nightmare or by his reaction, merely resigned. "Go back to sleep, love." Lily watched in fascination as Harry's body gradually relaxed to resume the repose of slumber.

When the young lady tried to slide out of bed, however, Harry gave a small, frightened noise and tightened his grip. She relented immediately and leaned back into Harry. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she said gently. "Go back to sleep, Harry." She looked up at Lily, an apology in her eyes. Lily simply beamed at her, suddenly happier than she had been in a long, long time. The young lady blushed prettily, and some sudden thought struck her, for she stared intently at Lily, and then looked over Lily's right shoulder. Lily turned, and then pointed questioningly at the small bookshelf near the corner of the room. A small smile and miniscule nod was her answer, and then the young lady closed her eyes.

Lily sat watching her son and his young lady with a silly smile on her face for some time. When she was certain that they were both sound asleep, she rose. Curious as to what the girl had sent her to find, Lily walked over to the small bookshelf. A large silver triple picture frame demanded her attention. Inscribed in flowing script at the top were the words "The First of Forever."

She recognized the first picture immediately. It had been one of her favorite photos of the wedding. James had been so handsome in his tuxedo ("the penguin suit," as Sirius had called it) as he spun her around the dance floor. About halfway through the reception, however, Sirius ran into the anti-spiking spells they had cast on the punch. As a result, his bottle of Ogden's Firewhisky had been consumed by fire, while the entire bowl of bright red punch was dumped on his head, dying his white dress shirt pink. "Pink penguin!" Remus shouted, throwing them all into gales of laughter. They had still been smiling when the camera flashed, capturing their love and laughter in one photograph.

Lily smiled tremulously, blinking back tears, as she turned to the second photograph. There stood Harry, resplendent in dark green dress robes, and happier than she had ever seen him. In his arms was that same young woman—his wife, Lily realized with a start. It was so strange to think of one's child as being married, but Lily had never been happier. The young lady in question was dressed in gorgeous robes of a shimmering, feathery material of pure white that swirled around her as she danced. They looked very good together.

Upon seeing the exultant joy, pride, and awe on Harry's face, Lily simply burst into tears. The shy smile of his new wife and the absolute love in her eyes only made her cry harder.

Sobbing, Lily glanced over at the third photograph, and nearly choked in surprise. She blinked. And blinked again. When the picture refused to change, she was forced to admit that she was seeing the truth about her daughter-in-law's family. It took Lily less time to admit that it did not matter. They were in love, and she made Harry very happy. It was more than enough.

A quick glance back at the second photograph strengthened her resolve. They were so good for each other. The open adoration in their eyes was rather charming, actually, and Lily had seen the evidence of their devotion. The children had taken the laughter from her wedding, the devotion from her in-laws, and the love from them both.

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