MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus- I thought so too. J Yay! Weddings!
BlackLupin- Yes, I also had that idea in mind. Great minds think alike (and you know it)! That'll be next chapter, I promise. Got any title ideas?
roxygurl25-Yes, so far everything is going for the best, but… there's always divorce… only joking! Don't get mad! :P And I love you ten million times with two and seven-eighths chocolate chip cookies.
potts-Now that I know who you are (LOL)… thanks! I'm glad you liked the name, and I'm very glad you're happy!
A/N: This chapter was supposed to be short, and originally titled "Wedding Plans", then when I got to writing it, I added more and more, so now it's "Wedding Plans (and other business)." Also, next chapter will be (if any of you have read my other reviews) when Sirius and Caitlin meet each other's parents. That'll be a laugh. Does anyone have any title ideas? Thanks! Love ya all!
Chapter 31: Wedding Plans (and other business)
By the end of that day, the whole school had found out about the next bride and groom at Hogwarts. Rita Skeeter had somehow managed to get the news, and had somehow managed to pass it around the whole school via Rumor Network.
Lily approached Caitlin that evening after classes, not exactly furious but a little annoyed.
"Caitlin," she said. "I thought I'd be the first to know about you and Sirius, and I'd hear from you, but instead I hear a little while ago from a fourth-year! What's going on?"
"Oh, Lily, I'm sorry, I meant to tell you tonight, but I didn't get to, and… who did you say you heard it from?"
"I didn't. Carly Brocklehurst, Hufflepuff," she snapped. "But that doesn't matter. Caitlin, why didn't you tell me? It's not that I'm angry, really," she softened, "but…" she blushed. "I love planning weddings! I've been planning my own since I was about six," she said softly.
"Oh? Who's the groom?"
"Dunno…" she smiled.
Caitlin seemed only half-listening to what Lily was saying. "Arabella's good at Potions, right?"
"Caitlin, don't change the subject!"
"Right?" Caitlin pressed.
Lily sighed. "Right."
"Okay… thanks!" Caitlin turned and sped away.
"But…" Lily raised her hand in calling Caitlin back, then lowered it, shaking her head to herself.
-
Arabella,
I know you don't usually do favors, but I was wondering… how long does it take to brew a vial of the weakest Veritaserum?
Caitlin
Caitlin,
It depends. How much?
Bella
Bella,
I don't think I'll need more than three drops. The victim is really dense. I think it'll work well.
I think the soonest I can do it would be… by midnight tonight, at the earliest.
Will it be working well? I don't really care how early it is, as long as it's working.
It'll be fine.
Great! Can I count on you? I'll stop by at midnight.
Sure, I suppose. May I ask what this is for?
You may ask, but I won't answer. You'll find out soon enough, anyway: don't worry. And thanks a lot—I owe you one!
Whatever.
-
"Carly, who told you about Sirius and me?" Caitlin asked the trembling fourth year.
"So… so it's true, then?"
"Just answer the question, Brocklehurst."
"Well… Delia Richards."
-
"Hey, Richards, who told you about Sirius and me?"
"Is it true?"
"Who, Richards?"
"Er…I think it was Alice Simmons. You know, the Gryffindor dating Frank Longbottom."
-
"Alice, who told you about Sirius and me?"
"Well, Sarah Parkinson did. Slytherin. Dunno why she talked to me in the first place… but, Caitlin?"
Caitlin sighed impatiently. "Yes?"
"Is it true, then? That you and Sirius are getting married? Because I just wanted to say… congratulations."
"Well… thank you, Alice," Caitlin said uncomfortably.
-
"Parkinson, who told you about Sirius and me?"
"It's true? It really is? He said he loved me, but now he's marrying you? It's true?"
"Yes, it's bloody true!!! Sirius' player days are over! Now answer the question!" Caitlin exploded.
"Nikki Gryfan, did, I think."
-
"Psst…Nikki! Come here!"
Nikki eyed her fellow Gryffindor suspiciously.
"Why?"
"I have more stuff on Sirius and me, and I admire your style."
Nikki was still suspicious. "You mean, you're not mad that it got out?"
"No, actually, Sirius and I were glad. It saves us the trouble of telling everyone ourselves."
Nikki thought this over, then excitedly followed Caitlin around the corner to the dungeons.
"Stupefy!" Caitlin hissed, and Nikki collapsed to the floor. Caitlin caught her and slowly lowered her to the ground.
Wow, you're heavy, she thought as Nikki hit the cold stone floor. Caitlin bound her with thick ropes. She took a small flask containing three drops of clear liquid from the pocket of her robe. She poured it down Nikki's throat, took out a Quick-Quotes Quill she had filched from Rita Skeeter's purse, touched her wand to Nikki's chest, and said, "Ennervate."
Nikki's eyelids fluttered open.
"Tell me," Caitlin said, "how long have you been spying for Rita Skeeter?"
"Since last year," Nikki replied in a monotone. The Quick-Quotes Quill was darting frantically across the parchment. "I was supposed to be in charge of anything in the romance department and supposed to tell her anything else I found out."
"How much did she pay you for this information for her column?"
"Five Galleons per tidbit."
"And why did you agree to spy for Rita Skeeter?"
"Because… I'm not telling you," Nikki replied. It seemed like she was very possessive of this fact and stubborn about releasing it. Caitlin forced the last drop of Veritaserum out of the flask and into Nikki's throat.
"Why did you agree to spy for Rita Skeeter?" Caitlin repeated.
"Because… because I needed the money. I'm not as rich as everyone thinks I am. My family's kind of poor, and can't afford to give me extra pocket money right now. Sometimes I even make my own clothes."
"Okay…" Caitlin said, packing up the parchment, quill, and empty flask. But Nikki wasn't finished.
"And because I wanted to dig up some dirt on Lily Evans. I wanted to make her look bad, worthless. It's not fair. How can James love her so much? I just don't understand; she treats him like filth and he still loves her. Why? Why can't he love me? I'm worthy. I've seen the longing looks he gives her in the halls, during class, everywhere. Believe me, I've noticed. And I'm supposed to be his girlfriend, but no. Why can't it be me? Why not me?"
Wow, girl, you've got it bad, Caitlin whistled before Stunning the girl again to end her rambling.
Caitlin left her in the Gryffindor Common Room (after she had wiped her memory), lying on a sofa, with a note:
Nikki Gryfan was partying late, got drunk, and passed out. Be prepared for a somewhat hung-over Gryffindor blonde in the morning.
-
It was one-thirty in the morning, and most of Hogwarts had already gone to bed, save for one Gryffindor girl.
The Hospital Wing was dark, illuminated only in the wing James Potter was resting in by the moonlight ricocheting off the white sheets. The castle was quiet, and the Hospital was even more so. It was the middle of the night, and James Potter lay in his bed, motionless, his eyes closed and his lips thin and set in a straight line. His skin looked pale in the moonlight, and his face was neutral and peaceful. He appeared to be in a deep sleep.
Then, without warning, his eyes shot open and he sat up in a snap. He was a bit disoriented for a moment or two, his vision hazy and wondering why his head had snapped up to life like that. James Potter looked at his surroundings, felt his bed and his own skin, and knew that he was finally awake.
-
Caitlin crept into the Ravenclaw girls' dormitories quietly so as not to disturb anyone. She crept slowly to Lily's bed and shook the redhead awake.
"Psst… Lily!" she said, urgently shaking the girl.
Lily looked up groggily. " 'S' matter?"
"Hurry, read this," she hissed, showing Lily the parchment. Lily's eyes were unfocused for a second, then narrowed and widened and she came to understand the meaning of the words in front of her.
"I'm publishing it in Rita Skeeter's column," Caitlin said, "but I wanted your approval to include the last bit. If you don't want me to, I promise I won't. But I want everyone to know what that snake's been up to."
So she's the one who was listening in on our conversation last year, Lily realized. That's why James got mad at me—he couldn't imagine anyone else snitching on them. I've got to make sure he sees this… she thought without knowing why she wanted so desperately to prove she was innocent to him.
"I… I don't know. The last part… is kind of… hostile, isn't it?" Lily said uncertainly. Caitlin was still looking at her. "I… I suppose you could publish it, if you wanted to."
"Lily," Caitlin stressed the last syllable of her name, "I want your approval."
"Sure," Lily said carelessly before turning back to her pillow. "Whatever."
-
The next morning, owls from everywhere were delivering mail, and Caitlin's interview with Nikki was on the front page. The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement with the revelation on the popular Gryffindor.
Nikki entered the Great Hall groggy, confused and tired. She became even more puzzled when murmurs, whispers, and finger-pointing was directed at her.
Do I really look that bad? She considered the possibility. Nah.She put on her best smile and strutted to her usual spot at the table. The whispers still followed.
"What is going on?" Nikki hissed out of the corner of her mouth to Caitlin, who was sitting nearest her. Caitlin only smirked and handed her the front page. Nikki stared at it in horror.
-
Sirius, Remus and Peter were just settling down to breakfast as James walked into the Great Hall. Suddenly there was a silence following his entrance. Everybody stared.
James broke into a wide grin, and held out his arms as if to say, I'm back! and soon the Great Hall joined him in laughter and returned to their earlier business. James settled down next to the Marauders.
"Prongs, old buddy, you're back," Sirius said, clapping James on the back.
"Welcome back," Remus said quietly. "Missed you."
"Yeah," agreed Peter. "Really."
"Well, thanks guys," James said sarcastically. "What a welcome."
"But-" Sirius protested, but James interrupted.
"Oh, calm down, I was only joking," said James, before helping himself to a heaping of food. "Boy, I'm ravished."
"Hey, mate, look at this," Sirius said, handing him the front page with Nikki's interview. James glanced at it, his face breaking into a smile as he read Nikki's confession, then to a glare of anger as he read the part about himself.
"E-excuse me? Is this some kind of joke?" He asked his friends, pointing at the last paragraph of the article. Sirius shrugged.
"Go ask her," he suggested halfheartedly, shrugging again. To everyone's surprise, James stood up and walked over to where Nikki was sitting a few spaces down.
"Gryfan?" he asked venomously. "Care to explain this last bit to me?"
"Well, it's true," Nikki tried to defend herself. "I've seen the looks you give her. You just can't have her, alright? She's not interested. And not worthy. But I am," she flirted, giving James her most seductive smile. James only glared.
"I mean it, Gryfan," he said before walked away.
"I do too! She treats you like dirt!" Nikki called after him desperately, but James wasn't listening anymore.
Lily had heard every word.
-
Dumbledore had announced that morning over breakfast that the preparing for N.E.W.T. exams had begun. Teachers were to start giving out increasingly demanding homework, and students had been known to spend even twenty hours a day studying to ensure their grade.
Teachers had started giving out more quantities of work, assuring the students that this was only the beginning. Lily had driven all of her friends to finish their homework as quickly as possible. They all met together in the Ravenclaw dormitories that night at ten PM to discuss wedding plans. Lily was exuberant.
"Okay," she said as she got out a quill and parchment, "make a list."
"Of what?" Caitlin asked.
"Everything! First of all… well, we'll do invites later. That would take a while. Let's do decorations. Flowers?"
"Err… must I pick?" Caitlin asked uncertainly.
"Of course!" Lily exclaimed. "How could you not?"
"Lily," said Caitlin quickly, "I have an idea. Why don't you choose decorations for me? You have a better eye than I do."
"Sure!" said Lily as she scribbled something down. "Alright, well… where do you want to have it?"
"Er…" said Caitlin, feeling stupider by the second, "I haven't discussed that with Sirius yet."
"Okay, we'll do that tomorrow."
Caitlin noticed Lily was getting impatient.
"Let's do invites now, then," she suggested, and as she suspected, it brightened Lily up.
"Alright-"
"But only my side," Caitlin assured.
"Deal."
"Okay… you, my parents, Katherine, Arabella, Amanda, Jane, my grandparents, my cousins, aunts and uncles… I'll have to ask my parents about all of them," she said as she ticked people off her fingers. "Jake…"
As the girls went to bed, a completely incomplete list of guests was sitting on top of Lily's trunk, waiting to be filled.
A/N: Okay, took me a little while, but I hope you liked! (I like the completely incomplete thing, even though it doesn't make sense. :P) Okay, here's where you come in, and I definitely need ALL of you (yes, that means every single one) to give me an idea: what flowers, food, place… everything you could possibly think of for the wedding should I use? Try to give me a whole set if you can, i.e., the flowers and decorations to match the place, and the food, guests… you get the idea.
Let me know if I've left guests out on Caitlin's side (of course I have, but specify, please) and let me know who I should invite on Sirius' side.
Thanks all! And leave me a long review! Don't forget to vote! Love you!
OutofAzkaban
