Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone in this story.

Headed for a Better Life

Summary: This story is about Lily and James's struggles to find happiness in their own unhappy worlds. They can't find any by themselves, but together can they learn what the word "happy" means?

Lily's summer

A young woman stifled a yawn as she stood in the line of bridesmaids. Truth be told, this was the last place she wanted to be right now. Some girls may enjoy being in their sister's wedding, but this was an unusual case. These sisters did not get along nor did they like being in the same room. It's been this way forever and will probably remain as such.

Her mind was wandering during the ceremony. She tried hard not to giggle as she remembered this morning's wedding preparation.

Flashback

"Mom, I'm not wearing this dress. It looks like something that was pulled out of a baboon's ass." A disapproving glare was sent Lily's way.

"I don't want to hear language like that come out of you again, young lady. Your sister picked that dress out and you will wear it."

An angry blonde woman ran out of a bedroom. "LILY EVANS! PUT THAT DAMN DRESS ON! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO RUIN MY WEDDING!"

"Petunia," Lily said as she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be giving you any trouble if you had just picked better bridesmaids dresses. Mom, please, I'm begging you. This dress is so ugly. Please, please let me alter it with magic. I could take out some-"

"NO NO NO NO NO! I WILL NOT HAVE ANY OF YOUR MAGIC ANYWHERE NEAR-"

"-bows and some of this shoulder poof. And I could change-"

"-MY WEDDING! THIS IS MY BIG DAY AND I WILL NOT HAVE YOUR FREAKISHNESS RUIN IT! IF YOU ALTER THAT DRESS, SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL-"

Their mother put her face in her hands and surrendered to the yelling. She'd been through seventeen years of this and was tired of stopping it.

"-this horrible color to something more pleasant. I mean, I have red hair!"

"-KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

"GIRLS!"A thunderous boom sounded as their father made his way up the stairs. "ENOUGH BICKERING! NOW, Lily, we've been through this before. You will wear that dress. You don't have to like it, but you will do it. Petunia, stop being Bridezilla and go get ready. I'm tired of the yelling and the fighting. If you aren't ready in the next half hour, you will go to the wedding as you are. Understand?"

The two girls glared at each other. "Yes daddy."

"Good."

End Flashback

She glared at the photographer as he took a picture of the bridesmaids. "Good God...why am I here?" She looked at the couple as she heard the priest say, "You may now kiss the bride." Lily tried not to vomit all over the church as she watched the beach whale snog her sister. "Erlack. Why must they do this in public? No one wants to see this."

As the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, paraded out of the church, Lily and the rest of the bridesmaids followed. It was off to the Dursley's house for the after party.

"Some one shoot me," she muttered to herself as she got in her parents car. She was off to a house from hell, in the pink dress from hell, to see the newlyweds from hell. "Life can't get much worse."

"Oh Petunia, you looked so lovely!"

"You and Vernon make such a wonderful couple!"

"I'm so jealous! I wish I were you right now."

Lily felt like vomiting again. Her green eyes fell of Petunia's friends, all of them throwing ridiculous compliments toward Petunia. Lily never understood those girls. They all worshipped Petunia. She didn't understand why someone would want to worship someone who looked like a horse.

Of course Petunia wouldn't invite any of Lily's friends to her wedding. First off, she wouldn't want Lily to have a good time. Petunia loved to see Lily miserable. It was in her nature. Secondly, all of Lily's friends were magic folk. Petunia hated magic and anyone associated with it.

"Lily, oh dear, you look so beautiful in this dress! Petunia did such a wonderful job planning this wedding, don't you think?" A large woman with a dress that rivaled Lily's waddled over to talk to her.

"Oh yes Mrs. Dursley. It's quite the dress. Oh I do love your hat." The woman beamed and fingered the hat fondly.

"Do you really? It was so expensive. My husband was so angry that I bought it, but surely you understand that it's expensive to be beautiful." A high pitch giggle emerged from Mrs. Dursley.

Lily giggled and took a sip of her drink. "I wish it was alcohol. I need some right now."

She wandered away from Mrs. Dursley claiming that she had to go to the bathroom. En route, however, she bumped – no collided – with one of the Dursley's relatives, Marvin.

"Hello Lily." Marvin was as big as he was tall. With curly brown hair and the personality of a rock, Marvin was easily one of the most horrific people she ever had the misfortune of meeting.

"Hello Marvin. Didn't see you there."

"You look stunning tonight. I wish it were us that were getting married instead of Vernon and Petunia."

Marvin has been in love with Lily since they first met, two years ago. He showered her with compliments, cards, candy, flowers, anything. Lily couldn't be bothered with him. It wasn't just his looks or girth because Lily wasn't shallow. It was just his personality and his way of thinking. He was so sexist and ridiculous.

"Thank you Marvin. I'm not trying to be rude but-"

"Why don't you say we get out of here? I know a place where we could," he winked and nudged her, "you know."

"I have to piss Marvin. If you'll kindly get out of my way." His grin faded a little at her cold tone.

"Alright, well, I'll be waiting out here for your return." He bowed to let her pass, but not before he patted her behind as she passed him. It took all of her strength not to kill him with her bare hands.

Once inside the bathroom, she opened the door a bit and peaked out. Marvin was sitting in a chair that was facing the bathrooms. "Oh hell's bells! What am I going to do!" Lily sat and tried to think of a way out of this. She couldn't magic her way out. Her mom wouldn't let her bring her wand. She had to either suck it up and deal with Marvin or sit in the bathroom until it was time to go.

Nothing could make her move from her stall. Not even Merlin himself.

James's summer

A young man tried hard not to fall asleep as an old man finished his speech. Two and a half hours of different Ministry workers making speeches was horrible. The young man couldn't think of one single thing that he'd done in his life that deserved this punishment.

His father sat to his left. His best friend sat on his right. Whenever he started to fall asleep, one of them would elbow him in the side to keep him awake.

He hated how he had to attend these things. There was at least one every two weeks during the summer. His father was high up in the Ministry and had to show off his family during moments like these. They bored this young man.

Two hours later, the dancing began. The two friends had to dance with every woman in the building. They were easily the most handsome bachelors there, so naturally, all of the married women and their daughters had to be near them.

"Oh James," one particularly large woman tittered. "You're so funny. My daughter Cassandra would just love you. She's very pretty you know."

James tried not to roll his eyes. He had seen Cassandra and she was anything but pretty. "Oh I know she is. It's a shame that she's dating Fredrick already." James looked over at his friend who was dancing with an equally large woman.

"Sirius, you know, my husband is never home." She moved closer to him. "So if you ever wanted a real woman to show you how to have a good time…"

A shocked expression appeared on his handsome face. He quickly changed it into a smirk. "Mrs. Faulk, you know that I would love to have a real woman show me how to have the best time in the world. However, I have to go back to school this weekend."

"You could come back on the weekends. Come on, I can be lots of fun." Sirius rolled his eyes as she played with his jacket.

"Maybe. It all depends on my schoolwork. I do have to keep my grades up if I want to become a Ministry official." Sirius was very good at lying though his teeth. He knew that he didn't want to be a Ministry official nor was he going to do his school work.

"Oh you're such a good boy. I'll be looking forward to those weekends." Sirius vowed that he would never come back from school. He'd stay there forever to avoid this woman.

The rest of the night went on like that. Women offered to show them how "to have a good time" or offered their daughters to them. The boys knew that there were worse lives to live, but they weren't happy with the one they were living.

Lily, James, and Sirius – each in their own horrible mess – had the same thought has the night progressed. They could not wait until they could get on the train that would take them to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

R&R!