Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hogwarts, or anything that has ever been mentioned in the Harry Potter books does not belong to me. I would like to own them, and make billions of dollars every year, but the only thing in this story that is mine is my plot, if you can call it one. I am simply one of those very sad people who obsess over something that isn't real. Thank you for your time.
Chapter Eight
"Welcome to our home," Mrs. Potter told Alexis gracefully. It had been a week since the engagement party where she and James had begun their plotting. They had to pretend to be a loving couple, since they both had their family's reputations on their shoulders. It was an awkward position to be in, and one neither of them relished. This evening, however, could prove to be the hardest thing that they had done yet.
It started off fairly well. Alexis talked with Mr. Potter about a ruling on some civil rights case recently. James's father was a member of the Wizagament, and Alexis had mentioned that she might enjoy becoming a member of that one day. They did have a rather long discussion on werewolf rights also, James was interested to notice. Maybe Alexis would be good for Remus. Of course, for that to happen, they had to think of a way to get out of this without either of their families murdering them, or bringing the law on them. Wizarding betrothals were very serious. Almost too serious, at time.
There was one awkward moment, though. Alexis and the mothers were discussing something about the ceremony, and Mrs. Rieu said, quite loudly, "Well, that won't do at all. That is what the filthy mudbloods and muggles do, and we don't want to be anything like them, now do we?" James and Alexis gave each other a sideways skeptical look, and Mrs. Potter looked rather surprised. However, besides that, the dinner went well.
Alexis is a great girl, James thought to himself as he waved goodbye and disapparated. She's just not Lily. And Lily really is the only one I want.
The object of his thoughts was standing in front of a mirror at a wedding boutique in Paris. The entire shop was in a frenzy about this, but she just stood there, calm, but feeling something strange. It couldn't have been regret, though. She was happy with all of this.
Oh, it had been difficult, but Rick loved her. He proved it over and over again. And she loved him. Well, maybe not love, but she was content with him. It was all the same thing, wasn't it?
She sighed, and put her face in her hand. It wasn't the same, and she knew it. However, Rick had never broken her heart, let alone done it twice. Rick had never made a horrible bet about her. Rick was a perfect gentleman, and that was what she needed in her life.
She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful. It was strapless, with an embroidered bodice, a full skirt, and a beaded hem. It was the dress that she had always dreamed of. However, it just didn't feel right. She had often imagined herself and James in this situation, and she couldn't wear this dress if she was marrying someone else. So, she put away the perfect dress, and got one that she had liked more then all the others, and left the shop.
Sometimes she wondered what she was thinking, going through this wedding. But the sensible part of her promised herself that she would be happy, in the end. Anna didn't think so, however. She had flat out refused to be part of this ceremony, and had told Lily that she was making the biggest mistake of her entire life. Lily had already done that, though. She had let James Potter into her heart, and now he refused stubbornly to get out, and he would never leave her to live in peace.
The next day, James sat on the couch where he had first heard the news of this wedding, tossing a quaffle to himself. He was really supposed to be looking over guest lists, but he really didn't want to. That would imply that this wedding meant a damn to him.
He was in a really foul mood. Sirius didn't know why, but he suspected its cause was Lily. It always was, these days. He had always liked Lily, he had always thought of her as a nice girl. He originally didn't think that she deserved his friend, but he soon realized that it was more likely the other way around. However, this was just too much. No one should deserve this kind of pain. And these two just seemed to be getting a lot of it.
"Stupid….Idiot…French bastard…" James grumbled. Now, Sirius began to understand
"So, what happened with the French dude?" Remus asked curiously. He didn't have a direct connection with Lily, so he didn't understand the changes so much. Sirius, dating Anna, was a pro.
"Let me guess, he asked her to marry him, again. And she said yes, again." Sirius ventured. It did seem logical, as Sirius had never heard of any other specific French bastards.
"Yes, he did." James growled. "One of the French guys who stayed behind was talking about it. It's sick how she would go marry someone who treated her like that. Someone who thought of her as someone who could do whatever he told her to do."
Remus looked sharply at him. "What about someone who made a bet about her, and didn't tell her, so she had to find out from one of her worst enemies? What about someone who gets together with her, and then forgets to tell her that he's engaged, and has been from just about birth. I'm on your side, James, but you did kind of kill her self confidence and esteem. She isn't the strongest person, really. And she never has been."
James threw the ball at the wall hard, breaking a little glass ornament. "Why does everyone lecture me about her. She doesn't matter anymore. There's no way for us to ever me together."
Sirius stared at him, shocked. "So, you're just giving up?"
"I can't spend my life chasing after someone who won't stop running, Sirius."
"James," his best friend replied, "You've always chased after her. You still are. You walk slow enough so that she can't see you, but fast enough so that if she falls, you'll be there to catch her."
James shot Sirius a slightly guilty look. "Well, then, it's a good thing I've got such good endurance, and it means that I'll never get out of shape."
Lily walked past a series of houses. It was strange, she thought that she should recognize them, but she didn't. She knew that she was looking for something, but she didn't really know what.
Suddenly, she felt it. She walked into a house. It was an average white house with a white picket fence, the same as every other one on this street. Except this one was different. This one had a door open. Lily pushed it open a bit wider, and stepped inside.
It felt strange. Quiet, peaceful, but too quiet, really. There was only so much peace that you could have before you knew, you just knew that something was about to go wrong, and this was one of those times. She walked up the stairs, and into what she supposed was the bedroom.
James lay face up on the bed. But this was not the James she had left at the party. This was a pale, wane James who looked like he was dying, or worse, dead. Bending down over him, she screamed when his ice cold hands reached out to latch around her own.
"Lily, you killed me," he said softly, his voice weak. "You killed me by refusing to admit that you love me. You killed me by refusing to admit that we had a chance together. I'm dead, Lily, and it's all your fault." With these last words, James feel back onto the pillow and took his last breath. But even after he was long gone, his hands refused to let go of Lily. She screamed, and screamed, as she fell into a swirling black pit, James's hands still around her wrists.
She woke up still screaming. Realizing that it was all just a dream, she stopped screaming, and attempted to allow her heartbeat to settle so that she could go back to sleep. However, she couldn't, so she decided to go walk around the neighborhood. That was always what she had done when she had nightmares.
After pulling on jeans and a pair of sneakers, she walked around her entirely magical block to a deli that had always reminded her of the leaky cauldren. She bought a croissant, and continued to meander. However, soon a magazine caught her eye.
YOUNG PUREBLOODS IN LOVE! James Potter and Alexis Rieu to wed! Knowing that she shouldn't, she flipped through a bit of the magazine to the article. Phrases jumped out at her like "never been so much in love before" and "this is the happiest that I've ever been in my entire life," both said by James.
She growled, put the magazine back, and glared skyward. Well, James Potter, if you're so happy now, I leave you to it. Good riddance, and I'll forget about you soon. You deserve it.
TBC
I'm really sorry. My life took a pretty bad turn. I have whooping cough, or something like that, and so I've been pretty sick recently. Plus, I lost my notebook that had all my chapters in it, and I had to try to remember it all. So if you think that this chapter sucks, it's because I am sick and cannot breathe. Thank you.
Well, you know the drill. Review. I write faster, then I update. Rinse and Repeat.
Seriously, though, it really helps to know that people actually read my stories. And that they care enough to respond. You guys that have been there since the beginning, ya'll are the best. I cannot convey how much you mean to me.
And, to those of you who hate Rick, and think that he doesn't deserve Lily, and that he should die, he's not that bad a person. He's a little egotistical, but that's that. Lily is just comparing him to James. And Lily's had a lot of emotional turmoil involving the latter. She agreed to marry Rick because he's not James, and wouldn't do something like that. SO, we cannot kill Rick. However, Lily may see the error of her ways.
Now, to answer last chapter's reviewers (how I heart you guys)
Prongsie-Jamesie- There, I updated. And how can I have a triquel? when Trying to Forget, Trying to Forgive wasn't a sequel to anything?
Me- Dude, like, thanks.
Jersey Princess- No thanks, I've got death things down pat. Just ask Emmy.
Marta- Lily isn't an idiot. She just thinks Rick won't hurt her.
The Sweet New Zealander- The rhyming was from a song which I thought fit the mood. I'm sorry I gave you a headache. And yes, I am mad. It's fun.
Mika Rieu- But it's someone with your penname as a last name. Does that help?
munch010- She can't be all that evil, can she?
ourlittlesecret7- It's very sad. We do hate rick.
Under-the-Moonlight- THE RATS!
EmeraldEyedEvans- I gave him to you. THE CHEESE!
WritingsOfATeenageDramaQueen- I do too. Sigh. I want a Radames. And a Curly. And a Raoul. And a Remus.
hpandfriendsruletheworld- Sorry, took me a while. Hope you like it anyway.
man eating plant- I love quoting songs.
ThelovelyladyLily- No, we cannot kill rick. Public humilia- I was not supposed to say that. I was not supposed to say that. Uh-Oh. You didn't hear that.
Telwyn Dubois- Yes. And I tried to explain about Rick. He's not that bad. He' s just not, well, James.
PinkyTheSnowman- I have multiple triangles.
Mimbulus- I don't think he's going to die.
CaptainOatsPrincessSparkle- It's coming. Hold your horses.
Hey- Na, that makes everything too easy.
InLuvWitRupert- Thank you.
Lily of the Valley23- Thank you. It's all coming.
firefur1- He gave up.
Stella Blu- A mary-sue is an all perfect character. And Lily doesn't really think as much as she should.
All that Jazz,
Sally
