Chapter 3
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On with the story…
James walked into his parents study the next morning. It was a richly attired place with red panelling and a huge rosewood desk where his father and mother were standing.
"Good morning James, I have something to discuss with you." James' father always gave off an aura of aristocracy snobbiness whilst his mother was very kind hearted and she smiled at James next to his father
"Which is?" James asked
"You are going to be 28 next month and you still haven't settled down and got yourself married now this wouldn't be a problem if you weren't the first born, you see there is a rule in this family which has carried on through the generations, the first born has to get married before they are 28 otherwise the Malfoy family take over. I mean our house, land. Women, our position in the ministry etc." James looked at his father then keeping his voice fairly steady replied
"How am I supposed to marry someone when the love of my life won't hear me out and she is engaged?" To that James' father said
"Ah, the Lily Evans business again? I sensed this would be a problem so I have provided you with a guide to the most eligible bacholerettes, I mean you could just pick one of them, get married to them and then divorce them the next day." James' father said rolling his shirtsleeves up. James' father (who is called Marcus) opened his drawer and pulled out the Daily Prophet.
"Dad, I thought you were giving me a guide to the most eligible bacholerettes?" James said looking slightly annoyed now.
"I am, the Daily Prophet did it as their special of the week…" Marcus said and handed the newspaper to James then Marcus said curtly
"You may leave." James nodded and turned to go when his mother stopped him
"James-make the right choice" James wasn't sure but he could have sworn she was trying to tell him to go after Lily. James went to his room and began to read.
"Morgana-She is a feisty woman with black hair and violet eyes and is the soul heir to the Glenda Goodwear millions!" James looked at her picture and crossed her off."
"Elle - French, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her father is Sir Eduardo who isn't particularly rich but owns lots of lands and has a title." James gasped and studied the woman in the picture. It showed Elle outside some kind of wizard premiere wearing an ice blue dress to match her eyes. There was a man next to her but it had purposefully been blackened out so no one would know whom it was."
"Ashleigh - Though she is rumoured to be in a relationship with Remus Lupin, Ashleigh is still single. She is one of the brightest witches of this generation and one of the better-looking ones. The picture was of Ashleigh wearing a stunning hot pink sundress and pink flip flops and a straw hat which covered her head but still showed her gorgeous brown hair."
There were several other ones but James crossed them off and he was left with Elle and Ashleigh. It definitely helped that he knew then but Elle had in some respects broken him and Lily up and Ashleigh might be already taken by Remus Lupin. But he didn't know, his friends Sirius, Remus, Ashleigh decided that they no longer wanted to be his friends after the whole Lily catastrophe, believing Pierre and Elle instead. So though James knew lots of people he had no real friends. Grimly James though to himself, which is why I have to go and see Ashleigh, to go and explain. James walked over to the huge fireplace and got a handful of floo powder, then looking at the address for Ashleigh's house flooed there.
James arrived in a huge bedroom decorated in bright colours. He stood up and brushed the soot off his clothes. He casually walked into the hallway, but no one was there. Then he heard voices. He followed the sound and was bought out onto a sunny balcony. There were 5 people sitting there. Ashleigh was sitting next to Remus whom looked fit and handsome, Sirius (whom hadn't change at all) was next to Elle, then Pierre was standing up and telling some kind of joke. Everyone burst out laughing and James spoke
"What's the fun?" Everyone's heads whipped around and all of them stared at James.
"James Potter is that you?" Sirius asked
"Yeah, its nice to see you all" James said thinking that maybe they were going to accept him, then Ashleigh spoke her voice trembling slightly with anger
"Get out of my house, NOW!" Remus stood up and put a hand of restraint on Ashleigh's arm
"It's ok Remus, I'm going anyway but I want to tell you that Lily's back, she is in London my cousin met her the other day!" There was a crack and James disapparated. On the balcony all jokes were forgotten as they stared at each other.
"It's a hoax" Pierre said "It must be, everyone knows that Lily vanished why would she after 10 years meet a Potter when she supposedly hates their guts?" Everyone smiled at this but Ashleigh didn't look so sure. And with a crack she too vanished. A minute later she reappeared in the Potter's mansion. James stood at the window with his back to Ashleigh. Ashleigh began to approach him when he realised that he was crying. She stepped up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"James, I'm sorry about what I said, it's me and my hothead temper. Its just you're the reason that I lost my best friend and and-" James turned to face her, his face broken and just sobbed on Ashleigh's shoulder. 10 minutes later James looked up and said weakly
"Sorry about that, its just I haven't seen you guys for so long and then you all rejected me and I have got to marry in two weeks if I don't want my family to lose the house and I saw Lily for the first time and she hates me and she is engaged to a muggle and she has a pager."
"Okay, okay, too many and's, Lily is engaged, do you know were she lives or works, I have to see her." Ashleigh said
"She is working here." James shoved a piece of paper into Ashleigh's hand and then said slightly forlornly
"You have to understand, it wasn't me who sent that note it was Pierre, it was completely different writing. Please can we be friends?" James said. Ashleigh felt deep down that he was telling the truth and nodded then disapparated to the place on the piece of paper.
Ashleigh reappeared in the huge glass place which had an atmosphere of almost frenzied working, everywhere jewellery was being unpacked and Ashligh as she was walking through the crowds kept hearing
"Lily, Miss Evans, Lily Evans…" she suddenly walked into a very handsome man who was coming out of a glass door
"Sorry about that." Ashleigh said looking up at the man she had bumped into
"It's alright. What is your name, I don't remember seeing you here before."
"It's Ashleigh and if you haven't seen me before because I don't work here I was actually coming to see an old friend of mine, do you know her, her name is Lily Evans?" the man started and replied
"Do I know her, she is my fiancé and she is running the biggest jewellery exhibition ever, I don't think she has ever spoke of you before but then she never talks about her school life or life before she met me, she is right through those doors." Jacques pointed through the glass door and walked off. Ashleigh opened the door to find Lily going over masses of drawings, not looking up Lily said
"Who is it?"
"It's Ashleigh, your old best friend…" Lily's head looked up then she stood up and hugged Ashleigh very hard.
"It's good to see you to Lily but I'm suffocating here." Ashleigh said and Lily promptly stopped hugging her.
"How did you find me " Lily asked
"James told me" Ashleigh said, there was a silence were Ashleigh could see that Lily was still madly in love with him then her eyes dulled
"That was nice of him." Lily said and began to look over her designs again then Lily added "Carry on talking its just I have to finalise these before tonight." Ashleigh said bluntly
"You still love James, and he still loves you, he had no friends until today when I forgave him, he is having a complete nervous breakdown over you, come back and see everyone Lily just for one day." Lily looked up and said with remorse in her voice
"I can't Ashleigh, it would be too hard and I'm engaged now and I love my fiancé it's just-" Ashleigh broke in there
"You aren't Lily, you're denying it to yourself but you know its true. How can you not say you aren't in love with James when everyone who knows you too can see that you are?"
"I never said I wasn't in love with James." Lily said
"So you are in love with James then?"
"I'm not!" Lily yelled getting frustrated but Ashleigh carried in anyway
"So what do you feel for James, I mean after all you must feel something."
"I don't, he was part of my old life, one which I've forgotten, rejected, whatever you like, Jacques and jewellery and the show tonight is my new life and I would appreciate it if you would leave, I'm very busy." Lily said then she looked down at her work again. Ashleigh paused just as she was about to open the door and said in a ringing voice
"You will come round Lily, the magic in you won't let you keep acting as a muggle. Oh and I live in Diagon Alley just ask someone for my house and they will direct you, why don't you come round for dinner?" and with that Ashleigh disapparated.
A.N. I hope everyone had a good Christmas now please review!