Chapter 6: Dumbledore to the Rescue...

"Professor! How could you tell my parents I would marry him!"

"And why would you ever thi-"

"Please, Lily and James, stop," said Albus Dumbledore. "Questions will be answered later, right now I am interested more in a cup of tea. You wouldn't have any Mrs. Evans now?"

"Oh yes, one moment," said Rose as she left the room.

"Now, Lily I understand that you do not want to marry James. And James I understand you are much over your crush you had upon Lily when you were younger. But unlike either of you, I have been thinking about the future. It is a necessity that the Gryffindor line continues, James. Your parents asked me to pick an intelligent, smart, respectful and beautiful women for you to marry."

Lily began to blush and the red anger disappeared from her face.

"And Lily, your parents asked me to find you a man who would take care of you, respect you, and love you for your whole life," said Dumbledore as he causally sat down in a sofa chair. A long silence filled the room and Lily and James starred at each other, neither were mad, each were surprised.

"Professor," said James as he broke the silence. "It wouldn't work, we have nothing in common."

"James, Lily, I was married once," said Dumbledore rather fondly. Lily gasped and looked at James who, for some reason, began to blush. "Her name was Madalina, and she was the most beautiful women I have ever laid my eyes upon. I told myself that I would never be able to have a women like that for a wife. But for some odd reason she began to like me. Until one day, she loved me."

"B-but still," said Lily.

"Madalina died when she was 23, we had one year of marriage together, one year Lily. Madalina and I had nothing in common, I was an intelligent student who lacked in social aspects and Madalina was not the smartest person in the world, but she had the most friends." Dumbledore finished and looked from Lily to James. "My point is that even though you have nothing in common, or so you think, you can still learn to love each other."

"But professor, even if we are only frie-friends..." said Lily as she didn't end her sentence.

"Then you can pretend like you are more," added Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled as he watched Lily and James surprised faces. Their parents stood watching Dumbledore until Rose Evans came forward and handed Professor Dumbledore a cup of tea.

"I think that I would also fancy a cup, Emily?" asked Albert Potter as he strode off towards the kitchen with Rose, Nigel, and Emily followed him. Lily, James, and Dumbledore were left in the room. Lily looked around nervously for her sister.

"S-sir, how do you expect James and I to tell your friends we are getting married. saying we have an.. err.. arraigned.. marriage.. sounds... old fashioned," said Lily with a sigh of relief.

"Well, what if you simply told then you were engaged, upon your own accord?" asked Dumbledore. James laughed and then stopped when he saw Dumbledore's serious face.

"You're kidding me.. Right? Now of my friends would believe me because Lily is so mean to me... So I tell them.. yes Mate that mean girl that hates me is going to marry me!"

"James, I-I-I can try to be nice to you! It's just that I don't want you playing jokes upon me any more!" said Lily with a huff.

"I won't... darling," said James as he added the last part with a smile. James laughed and Lily frowned even though James could swear he saw a smile linger in her eyes.

"Now, I will need to meet with your parents briefly as we go over some last minute things on the agreement," said Dumbledore. Dumbledore nodded at his students and left the room. Lily sat down on the sofa chair that Dumbledore had been sitting in while James sat down on the couch.

"Is that a Telly-vish-un?" asked James as he pointed towards the television in the room. Lily nodded her head and slowly starred into the blank black screen.

"James... I really want you to know, if I had to pick one of the prats in Gryffindor, excluding Remus, I would pick you to marry," said Lily. James slowly turned his face to hers and looked at her sweetly.

"And why is that... Lily-love.. is it my good looks? Or sweet personality?" asked James.

"Neither, it's the fact I wouldn't marry anyone else," replied Lily simply.

"And now what do you mean by you wouldn't marry anyone else?" asked James defensively.

"Well, Sirius is a flirt and I would never know if he happened to be cheating on me or not," said Lily. James made noise that sounded a lot like a laugh. "And Arthur Weasley, is well, a Weasley. And Peter is well... Peter."

"So you would pick me!" replied James.

"No, I would pick my friend Remus," replied Lily in a sticky voice. Lily had expected James to laugh but his voice became very serious and focused on what she had just said.

"Remus wouldn't marry you," said James slowly. A painful looked crossed through Lily's green eyes as she starred at James.

"And why wouldn't he?" snapped Lily.

James pondered on his answer and thought before he slowly spoke "He cares about you to much as a friend."

"Oh," replied Lily as she looked down on the floor. An uncomfortable silence crossed through the room and Lily thought how could she spend the rest of her life like this.

"So what do you think our parents are talking about with Dumbledore?" asked Lily as she changed the subject.

"You," replied James, "Don't want to know."

"And why NOT!" asked Lily.

"Because it would upset you."

"How do you know if it would upset me?" asked Lily as she became very upset. James didn't reply and just looked at the floor. Lily slowly began to cry and James looked up from the looked at Lily.

"What's the matter now?" asked James as he sighed.

"You," mumbled Lily in reply. James smiled and thought how beautiful Lily looked when she was upset.

"What did I do?" asked James kindly.

"You won't tell me what our parents are talking about. And if I end up marrying you, you will never tell me anything," snapped Lily.

"Lily, do you really want me to tell you what they are talking about?" asked James.

Lily looked up and saw how serious James looked. "Yes," replied Lily slowly.